


A Love of Fire and Ice

by project_ecto



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-03
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-12 18:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 37,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4490871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/project_ecto/pseuds/project_ecto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one-shots about Hitsugaya Toushirou and Hinamori Momo in which they share a love of fire and ice. HitsuHina</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> Originally on Fanfiction.net, but I've decided to post it on AO3 as well. Please enjoy.

** Chapter 1 **

** First Kiss **

** Words: 2625 **

“Man, I hope Taichou doesn’t freeze me for coming in so late...darn that Shuuhei...” Matsumoto thought while making her way to the 10th division office. She stopped right in front of the doors and slowly slid them open, in case the Captain were to freeze her just by glaring. The busty vice-captain peeked into the office and saw no one. Opening the doors fully, she realized that her Captain was no where in sight. “Strange...”

Matsumoto walked towards the desk, where a note was left.

“ _I’ve gone out, won’t be back till late afternoon. Finish ALL the paperwork when I get back._

- _Hitsugaya-taichou_

_P.S I’ve thrown out all your sake, so don’t bother.”_

Matsumoto’s eyes widened at the last sentence. “WHAT?! Taichou threw out all my sake?!” Immediately, she opened the cupboards where she secretly kept her bottles of alcohol. Indeed, her _treasure_ was gone. “There were over ten bottles of sake in here! Now there’s none! How could Taichou do something like this to me?!” The woman sighed dejectedly.

“Looks like I’ve got no choice...”

After regaining her composure, Matsumoto unfolded the crumpled piece of paper in her hand. (Too caught up in the moment, she unintentionally crushed the note.) “Taichou went out? Oh, that’s right; this week is the second week of the month. He always goes back to Rukongai to visit his grandmother at this time,” Matsumoto thought.

“Hmm...since Taichou’s not here, I should really take this chance to hang out with some of my buddies...”

Leaving the paperwork as it is, Matsumoto set off to find Hinamori and try to get back her sake along the way. Little did she know, in the ninth division office, Hisagi Shuuhei was contemplating on whether or not he should drink some of Matsumoto’s sake that Hitsugaya had told him to keep for the time being.

* * *

“ _This cannot be happening to me. This cannot be happening to me!_ ” the petite shinigami thought angrily. She walked briskly along the streets of Rukongai, a troubled expression resting upon her delicate features. She was dressed in a simple light blue kimono and sandals with her hair tied up in its usual bun.

“ _It’s not supposed to be this way_...” she half-whimpered in her mind. Carrying a fresh watermelon with her, Hinamori made her way to oba-san’s house, all the while vexing over a certain white-haired captain.

“ _I’m not supposed to_ likehim _. He’s my best friend! I’ve been avoiding him too; it’s jus that every time I’m around him, I feel so weird..._ ”

“Oh! Hinamori-chan! Long time no see!” a familiar voice called out to her. Hinamori turned around, meeting face to face with the vegetable seller, Fujiwara.

“Fujiwara-san, it’s good to see you again,” Hinamori greeted him politely.

“Yeah. Going to visit oba-san again?” Fujiwara asked.

“That’s right.”

"Okay then, you better be on your way. See you around Hinamori-chan!”

“Hai. Ja ne!”

Continuing on her journey, Hinamori was glad someone distracted her from those thoughts. She reckoned that if she continued to think about him, she would just lose her mind. “ _Maybe I can talk to oba-san about this...she always helps me with my problems._ ” With that, the young woman decided to tell her oba-san about her _little_ problem.

* * *

 “Oh? Nattou?” the frail old lady asked.

“Yeah. I thought it would be good if I came here and eat nattou while visiting you,” Hitsugaya answered. He was not in his shihakuso and haori. He never was when visiting oba-san.

“My, my, you’ve always had a great liking towards this,” oba-san said feebly.

“That’s ‘cause it’s delicious. Come on, sit down and eat.” There was an awkward silence between the two when the old woman decided to speak.

“Toushirou.”

“Hn?” Hitsugaya looked up from his food.

“Have you told her yet?” she asked.

“Have you told Momo about how you feel?” she said patiently.

At that, color rose to Hitsugaya’s cheeks and tinted them pink. He looked down at his food again and paused before replying, “No. Not yet.” He wondered how even his grandmother knew of his feelings towards Hinamori. He never told anyone, and only Hyourinmaru knew of his hidden feelings. When he asked her how she knew, she simply replied, “ _News in Seireitei travel fast like a wildfire to Rukongai. Besides, I watched you two grow up, I know.”_ This shocked him a little, since he didn’t know that people actually knew about his _unrequited_ love.

“When will you stop waiting?” the old lady asked, her voice a little stern, as if demanding him to take the first step, startling Hitsugaya a little. “I think you’ve waited long enough.”

“Now’s not really the time, she’s just recovered...and I don’t want to spoil our relationship,” Hitsugaya defended himself (for his cowardice). “It is exactly because she is recovering that you have to tell her. Trust me; you won’t be spoiling your relationship with her,” she replied wisely.

“I like the relationship I share with her now. It’s fine. Besides, she’s been avoiding me recently. Even when she meets me, she pretends everything’s okay, but I know she doesn’t feel comfortable with me,” Hitsugaya replied curtly.

“Toushirou, many people regret the things they’ve done, but you are going to regret the things you’ve never done.”

“Oba-san, I-”

“Oba-san! Konnichiwa!” Hinamori’s cheerful voice rang in their ears. It took Hitsugaya by surprise and his blue-green orbs widened. He turned around to see Hinamori carrying a watermelon in her arms.

“Hinamori?”

“Eh? Hitsugaya-kun? You’re here too?!” Hinamori said, walking into the room.

Before Hitsugaya can say anything, his grandmother beat him to it. “Momo. What a pleasant surprise.”

“Ah, sorry I didn’t inform you earlier,” Hinamori apologized.

“That doesn’t matter. I’m glad you came, I’m sure Toushirou would love your company too.”

“Oh really Shirou-chan?” Hinamori said.

“Tch. Don’t call me Shirou-chan.” _There she goes, acting as if everything’s alright when she’s clearly trying to avoid me._

“Hai, hai. I brought a watermelon, we can all share it. Though, I really didn’t know that you would be here, Hitsugaya-kun.”

“I will go cut this watermelon, you two just stay here,” oba-san said.

“Eh? Oh, it’s alright, I can go cut it,” Hinamori offered, not wanting to be alone with her problem.

“No; besides, Toushirou has something to tell you.”

“He does?” Hinamori asked, turning her head to look at Hitsugaya. The latter was taken by surprise and stuttered out, “Wha-?” But before he could speak, the old lady had already made her way to cut the watermelon. Hitsugaya and Hinamori sat alone, an overwhelming silence engulfing them. “Ne, Hitsugaya-kun. What do you want to tell me?” Hinamori asked curiously. Inside, she thought and sighed inwardly

“ _Hitsugaya-kun is here...I can’t tell oba-san about my problem anymore...”_

“Its nothing,” Hitsugaya answered, keeping his stoic expression. “By the way, are you sure you’re well enough to be coming here?”

“Of course. I’ve recovered already; you don’t have to keep worrying about me all the time Hitsugaya-kun,” Hinamori said.

“How can I not be worried about you when you’re always getting yourself hurt?” Hitsugaya retorted.

The vice-captain huffed and said, “I do not get myself hurt all the time!” 

“Yeah, yeah. Bad things just happen to you,” Hitsugaya continued their playful banter. _Is it better this way? The way we are now._

Hinamori was about to say something back to Hitsugaya but he interrupted her, “Hinamori, I-”

Just then, the old lady walked slowly towards them, placing the plate of watermelons on the table. “Here you go.”

“Ah, thank you,” Hinamori said, smiling.

“Hinamori, do you want to go to the porch to eat instead?” Hitsugaya asked, depending on his new found courage. Hinamori immediately agreed and took a slice of watermelon with her. Hitsugaya followed suit and after casting a glance at his grandmother, who in turn, smiled, he walked out to the porch.

The old lady continued smiling and thought: _It’s all up to you now, Toushirou._ _  
_

* * *

 “Where are we going, Matsumoto-san?” Kira asked the vice-captain who was running towards the exit of Seireitei, dragging along Kira and Renji.

“We’re going to Rukongai!” Matsumoto answered excitedly.

“What? Why?” Renji asked. He didn’t really like the idea of running to Rukongai from Seireitei.

“What do you mean ‘why’? Taichou has gone to Rukongai and Hinamori is not here too. I suspect she’s gone to Rukongai to visit his grandmother too! As you know, both of them like to go back there during their free time,” Matsumoto said.

“So what does that have anything to do with us?” Renji asked, still not getting the point. He was getting kind of annoyed right now. Matsumoto stopped short, causing Kira to bump into her.

“Renji, are you stupid? They’ve gone to Rukongai together; I’ve got a really good feeling about this. Besides, don’t you think its fun to spy on those two?”

“Ano...Matsumoto-san, I don’t think it’s a very good idea to spy...” Kira started.

“Oh shush Kira. You two have nothing to do anyway, so why don’t you just follow me?”

“Who says I’ve got nothing to do? I have to train,” Renji objected.

“Just shut up and follow me.”

Renji and Kira couldn’t argue with Matsumoto any longer, they sighed and quietly followed her. ‘Sides, they weren’t complaining about seeing something _good_ happening to Hitsugaya and Hinamori right? 

* * *

 Hinamori bit into her slice of watermelon and chewed slowly. _Just when I wanted to avoid Hitsugaya-kun...guess I can’t run away this time._

Hitsugaya, on the other hand, was, (surprisingly) not gobbling down the whole slice of watermelon. Instead, he sat on the porch beside Hinamori, chewing off the watermelon bit by bit. Hitsugaya seem perplexed, thinking of how he should ask Hinamori about the matter.

Hinamori, unable to take the silence anymore, spoke up, “Hitsugaya-kun.”

“Hn?” He turned his head to her direction, snapped out his train of thoughts.

“Ahh...I was just wondering...if...the watermelon taste nice.” “ _That was the most pathetic attempt to start a conversation!!”_ Hinamori thought and bowed her head in humiliation.

Hitsugaya blinked at her and after a moment, he sighed. “Hinamori.” At the mention of her name, Hinamori’s head snapped up to face him. “Why have you been avoiding me?” Hitsugaya said without preamble. _Screw this. I’m just going to get this done and over with. No matter what, I have to tell her._

Hitsugaya’s blue-green eyes pierced into Hinamori’s chocolate brown ones. When Hinamori finally found her voice, she said, “A-Avoiding you? I haven’t been avoiding you at all...”

“Don’t lie to me. You always try your hardest not to bump into me and whenever you see me, you start acting strange. You’re obviously avoiding me. Why is that, Hinamori?” His voice was demanding and that made her squirm.

“I-” Hinamori found it difficult to say any other thing, she looked down at the porch, reluctant to meet Hitsugaya’s eyes.

“Did I do something to make you feel so uncomfortable around me? Is it my fault Hinamori?” Hitsugaya questioned, his voice a little gentler.

“No!” she blurted out. “It’s not your fault at all. It’s mine.”

“What is it then?” Hinamori looked up and stared at him. She wanted to tell him so desperately but it seemed that it was easier said than done. “Hinamori...”

“Ah! Hitsugaya-kun, you’ve got some watermelon juice on your face, let me help you wipe it off okay?” she said, trying to change the topic. Just as her hand was about to clean the juice off of his face, Hitsugaya’s hand clasped over hers tightly. He looked into Hinamori’s brown orbs intently and so did she. “Don’t evade the question, Momo.”

His hand still gripped hers tightly, making her unable to move out of her current position. They sat like that, on the porch, each gazing into the other’s eyes, as if in a trance. Their faces were at such a close proximity that both could feel the other’s breath fanning across. Hitsugaya leaned forward, unable to stand the little distance between them. He lifted his free hand and held Hinamori’s neck gently, bringing her closer. She made no objection, her mouth slightly agape and thinking that this couldn’t be real.

Their lips were mere inches apart and they both closed their eyes, anticipating what was to come.

They leaned forward.

And the next few moments felt like a dream.

He captured her lips in a chaste kiss and brought her hand to his chest so that she could feel his heart thumping in excitement. It was their first kiss, but it felt like they were meant to be kissing so naturally like that. His other hand held her neck firmly, gently rubbing his thumb over her skin, sending shivers down her spine. She held up her free hand and started to blindly play at his soft white locks.

The kiss was passionate, as if bringing two entities to a whole. They simply melted into each other. When air became a necessity, they slowly parted and stared into each other’s eyes, panting and holding on to the other.

“Hitsugaya-kun...” Hinamori breathed out.

Without giving her a chance to recover her breath, Hitsugaya kissed her again, this time with more force. Hinamori was taken by surprise but kissed him just as passionately, pressing her lips onto his harder.

He nibbled on her bottom lip, begging for entrance. She parted her lips slowly, allowing Hitsugaya to slide his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues clashed together, fighting for dominance and Hitsugaya came out as the victor. He explored the caverns of her mouth, tasting her. Unable to hold it in any longer, she let out a moan.

He continued kissing her and proceeded to untie her bun, letting her silky black hair cascade down her back. When they finally broke the kiss, they pressed their foreheads together, both panting for air. For a moment, they sat there in silence, digesting what had just happened.

“Hinamori, was there really watermelon juice on my face?” Hitsugaya asked, finally letting go of her hand.

“Yes. But it’s gone now,” Hinamori answered, smiling. She tore herself away from him and rested her head on his shoulder. Hitsugaya smirked and intertwined his fingers with hers.

“Hitsugaya-kun, do you still want to know why I’ve been avoiding you?”

“I think I know already,” he answered and gently pressed his lips into hers. Hinamori broke the kiss and whispered, just loud enough for Hitsugaya to hear, “Hitsugaya-kun, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They sat there on the porch; it was already in the late afternoon and the sun was setting.

Where they had spent their childhood was also where the beginning of a new relationship started. Not one as friends, but as lovers.

Back in the house, the old lady who watched them grow up, chuckled softly.

Within the bushes just opposite the house, a rustle could be heard. Matsumoto stopped peeking at the couple through the leaves and said, “My taichou has finally become a man.”

“See, Renji, Kira. I told you I got a good feeling about this, she said happily.

“Yeah, yeah. Too bad we didn’t manage to catch it on camera. Otherwise, I would have made Hisagi publish them in the magazine and I’ll earn big bucks...” Renji answered.

“Ano...Matsumoto-san, it’s already this late, shouldn’t you be hurrying off to finish your paperwork?” Kira spoke up.

Matsumoto’s eyes widened, letting Kira’s words sink in. “Oh shit!” And with that, she shunpo-ed away.

* * *

“Did you feel that?” Hinamori asked.

“Yeah, Matusmoto was spying on us,” Hitsugaya answered, aimlessly running his fingers along her hand.

“Is it okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll deal with her later. I’m still in a good mood now,” he said and proceeded to kiss her under the setting sun. 

-Owari-


	2. Addiction

** Chapter 2 **

** Addiction **

** Words: 1484 **

Hitsugaya could never get enough of Hinamori’s kiss; he was never sick of it and always wanted more. To have her lips pressed against his and his tongue exploring her mouth was like being on cloud nine. Scratch that, it _is_ being on cloud nine.

When he first discovered this fact about himself, he couldn’t describe how he felt. Was it excitement? Lust? Shame? A lot of things ran through his mind, but right now, he doesn’t really care. All Hitsugaya could think about was to get to Hinamori’s division as soon as possible.

It was night. The crescent moon shone in the dark sky with little stars hanging in their places. The tenth division captain walked briskly towards the fifth division office, feeling a trace of Hinamori’s reiatsu. He wondered why she was up so late at night.

Thinking about Hinamori made him think about her kisses, her touch. He remembered the time when he could no longer control himself and kissed her right in the middle of a hallway. What’s more, they were caught making out by Kuchiki-taichou. Talk about embarrassment.

That’s right, it happened about two weeks ago.

_"That old man can sure talk about a lot of useless stuff...” Hitsugaya mumbled to himself. A captains’ meeting had just ended and he was cranky. Reasons being: The captains’ meeting was held so early in the morning and concerned such insignificant matters (to Hitsugaya anyway). And, he didn’t get to see (or touch) Hinamori for two whole days since he was on a mission. Hitsugaya was in desperate need to see her right here, right now._

_Apparently, someone up there also wanted them to meet because when Hitsugaya turned round a corner, he saw Hinamori walking towards his direction, busily looking at the papers in her hands. Immediately, Hitsugaya’s grumpy mood vanished and he just looked at her, taking in her sight and the peachy fragrance she emitted._

_Hinamori, on the other hand, did not notice him and shuffled the papers in her hands, flummoxed by all the different divisions she had to deliver the papers to. She absent-mindedly walked on and would have bumped into Hitsugaya if he didn’t stop her in time._

_The fifth division vice-captain looked up in surprise, only to see Hitsugaya smirking at her, his hand clasped over her arm. Her eyes widened and she gasped, “Hitsugaya-kun!”_

_Hinamori wrapped her hands around him, burying her face in his shoulder and squealing with joy._

_“God, she’s so cute,” Hitsugaya thought and embraced her back. “Hey,” he greeted her coolly, although he so badly wanted to kiss her then. But they were still along the hallway near the sixth division and people might see._

_“Hitsugaya-kun,” she repeated, beaming. “When did you come back?”_

_He released her and answered, “Last night, around midnight. Then, they had to summon us for a captains’ meeting this morning.”_

_“Oh I see. I’m glad you’re not hurt.” There was a pause and Hinamori continued, “I missed you.”_

_Hitsugaya looked at her, gave her his small half-smile and said, “Me too.” She hugged him again and he took the chance to smell her hair which gave off a peachy aroma, tickling his senses. “Mmmm...” he murmured and kissed the top of her head. All of a sudden, the urge to kiss her, hold her and touch her came rushing back to him._

_It seemed like he couldn’t control himself anymore. Hinamori’s eyes, lips, smile, face, scent; everything was so alluring that he didn’t even care if anyone were to see them behaving intimately._

_Hitsugaya let her go and placed his fingers under her chin. He tilted her head up, leaning in to kiss her. Hinamori was surprised that he would actually do that in public and blushed. She was feeling embarrassed and averted his gaze. Hinamori turned her head to another direction and said softly, “Hitsugaya-kun, we shouldn’t...in here...it’s not a good idea.”_

_But he paid no heed. “But I need you,” he replied, and pressed her against the wall, placing his hands on the wall, trapping her. “I haven’t seen you in two days.”_

_Before Hinamori could protest any further, he pressed his lips upon hers. Hitsugaya kissed her until she gave in completely to him, forgetting the fact that they were still near the sixth division._

_Hitsugaya felt like his body was acting on its own. He continued to kiss Hinamori and brought this hand down to gently caress her breast. Unable to contain it any longer, Hinamori let out a moan. Hitsugaya took the opportunity to slip his tongue in and they let their tongues do the work. He continued by planting a trail of kisses on her jaw and down her neck, biting the smooth skin there._

_Hitsugaya licked, nibbled and sucked on her neck, causing her to grip his hair tightly, crumpling the papers as well. Her eyes were closed and she let Hitsugaya do sweet, torturous things her. Then, there was a cough._

_Hitsugaya immediately stopped running his tongue over her skin and looked up, still facing the wall. He daren’t turn back to see who had caught them making out near the sixth division. Hinamori had already put her hands to her side, eyes widening at the sight of Kuchiki Byakuya._

_“I would appreciate it if you would carry out your_ activities _in your divisions,” the austere captain said, a hint of distaste in his voice._

_Both Hitsugaya and Hinamori turned bright red and latter managed to squeak out an “Okay. Sorry.” They immediately rushed away, too embarrassed to say anything more. Byakuya was left to clear the image from his head._

Hitsugaya smirked at what had happened. He was sure Byakuya would be wary of what he might see when he saw the two of them together. However, despite being caught red-handed, he didn’t regret the passionate moment he shared with Hinamori near the sixth division.

Finally, Hitsugaya reached the fifth division office. Hinamori was still awake. He stood outside the office and knocked.

A tired ‘Come in’ was heard and Hitsugaya slid open the door. Hinamori looked up from the stacks of paper on her desk. “Hitsugaya-kun, what are you doing here?” She was quite surprised to see him.

“Wondering why you were still up so late at night. But I can see why,” Hitsugaya replied and walked towards her desk.

“There’re tons of paperwork for me to finish by tomorrow so I can’t sleep yet,” a worn-out Hinamori said and stifled a yawn.

“And I thought _I_ was the workaholic.”

“It’s not like I have a choice you know. I don’t have a captain now, so I’m in charge of all the paperwork.” This time, Hinamori didn’t bother to stifle the yawn that came.

“Take a break,” Hitsugaya said, putting his hands over hers, stopping her from writing any further. He was behind her now; bent so low till his mouth was at her ear. Hinamori could feel his breath on her ear, it was ticklish. “Put away the paperwork,” he whispered in her ear again. Hinamori wanted to, but she knew her priorities. He started to massage her shoulders, causing her to relax against the chair. His hands moved in rhythm slowly, his fingers pressing against her shoulder blades.

“Hitsugaya-kun...I really should be finishing the paperwork. I need to deliver them tomorrow,” she breathed out, feeling a little light-headed now. Her grip on the brush loosened and her mind was telling her, “Screw priorities. Screw paperwork.”

Hitsugaya was not going to let Hinamori continue with the paperwork. He was going to have his way. He kissed her ear and started to nibble on it lightly while his other hand pulled on Hinamori’s ribbon, letting her hair out of the bun. Hitsugaya was still bending low behind her and brought his head lower to bite her neck.

“Hitsu...”

He pulled away, saying, “Hinamori, put away the paperwork.” He resumed his biting on her neck, leaving red marks on it. This time, Hinamori obeyed and dropped her brush, pushing away all the paperwork. She turned in her chair so that Hitsugaya had better access to her neck and mouth. Immediately after she turned, Hitsugaya kissed her hard, unleashing whatever pent-up desire he had. She kissed him back just as roughly and stood up, both of them not separating.

Hitsugaya brought his hands around Hinamori’s waist and pressed her body closer to his while she encircled her hands around his neck. His hands traveled up her back and to her head, holding her close. They separated and went in for another kiss. When they finally broke away, Hitsugaya carried Hinamori bridal style, kissing her once more. They opened their mouths and tongues were clashing.

He led them to Hinamori’s bedroom, all the while kissing her. He was going to get what he wanted and Hinamori didn’t mind. After all, she _was_ feeling kind of needy right now. 

-Owari-


	3. Kissing Booth

** Chapter 3 **

** Kissing Booth **

** Words: 2484 **

The black-haired guy that just walked off was the seventh. And the brown-haired one that was approaching (with a smug look) was going to be the eighth. Hinamori Momo groaned in frustration inwardly, she couldn’t take it any longer. There were still a dozen over queuing up to get a kiss from the fifth division vice-captain.

“No more! Please...” Hinamori whimpered in her mind. She couldn’t take the kissing any longer. Not only did she give away her first kiss to a complete stranger, she even had to entertain a dozen over guys. “Why, oh why did I have to get picked to be stationed at the Kissing Booth?” Hinamori thought.

_“Any other ideas?” Ise Nanao, vice-president of the Shinigami Women’s Association said, pushing up her glasses with her fore finger. A meeting concerning the Annual Shinigami Festival was being held by the SWA and currently, they were coming up with ideas to put up as stations for the up-coming festival._

_There was a pregnant pause before Matsumoto spoke up, a glint of playfulness in her eyes. It seemed like she had got a wonderful trick up her sleeve. “A Kissing Booth!” Everyone looked at her and started to discuss among themselves. To back up her idea, Matsumoto said, “I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy that, especially if we send out someone pretty. I heard that they do it in the real world and it welcomes a lot of people.”_

_There were a few nods in agreement and Kotetsu Isane raised up her hand and said, “I’m supportive of Matsumoto-san’s idea._

_“I second that,” Kurotsuchi Nemu agreed sheepishly. Soon, all the members agreed to Matsumoto’s idea, except for Soi Fong, who only shook her head in disgust._

_Kusajishi Yachiru, the president of the SWA shouted, “A Kissing Booth? Where’s the fun in that?” Uh oh. If the president doesn’t agree to it, then the idea won’t even be considered._

_“Yachiru, there’s a lot of fun in it, especially if we send a certain someone to be in charge of it,” Matsumoto said deviously. Just by looking at her eyes, Yachiru knew that Matsumoto was not joking. “Yay! There’s gonna be a lot of fun! I want a Kissing Booth!”_

_“If the president wants it, then we’ll have no choice but to comply,” Nanao announced, jotting it down._

_“But Big Boobies, who’s the ‘certain someone’ we have to send?” Yachiru inquired._

_“Oh! I thought you were never going to ask!” At that, everyone had a bad feeling about the whole thing._

_“It’s Hinamori of course!” Matsumoto answered cheerily, pointing to the girl sitting quietly. Hinamori looked at her in surprise, flabbergasted. Yup, everyone had a bad feeling about this. Matsumoto would be killed if the captain of tenth division ever found out that she made Hinamori in charge of the Kissing Booth, which we all know that he would find out._

_“What? Me?” she stammered out, incredulous._

_“Yes, of course. Who else?”_

_“B-But, why me?” the poor girl asked. She didn’t want to be in charge of the Kissing Booth._

_“Because you’re the perfect candidate! You’re well-liked by a lot of people from the divisions, you’re pretty, you’re not in charge of anything yet and moreover...” Matsumoto’s voice trailed off and she whispered something into Yachiru’s ear and winked. Oh boy._

_Immediately, Yachiru’s face lit up. “Yay! That sounds fun! I want to be there when it happens! Peachy, you’ll be in charge of the Kissing Booth!”_

_“This is definitely something to look forward to” was what (almost) everyone thought. Hinamori, on the other hand, was left to absorb everything into her head. “When what happens?” She had never kissed anyone before, so how could she possibly be the perfect candidate? Just what was Matsumoto planning? Only time would tell._

_“Perfect.”_

Hinamori was down to the tenth person now. The one that just left was in a daze after kissing her (though it was just a peck). She found it really unfair that she was the only one who had to kiss so many guys and that Matsumoto was not even part of it despite giving the “Kissing Booth” idea. She had said that she was in charge of something else “much more important” and that her lips were reserved for a “special someone” though Hinamori had no idea what or who it concerned.

The fifth division vice-captain was looking very differently form her normal self. Her hair was not in its usual bun; instead, it flowed down her back and was curled at the ends. She had put on black eye-liner and applied blush to her cheeks and her lips were of a glamorous pink, all thanks to Matsumoto. She wore a beautiful peach-colored furisode*, decorated with cherry blossoms. In short, she was drop-dead gorgeous. No wonder the amount of guys queuing were piling up.

She looked around, searching for someone. Hitsugaya Toushirou actually. When she was doing her job, all she could think about was Hitsugaya. How it would actually feel like to kiss him rather than the strangers and how he would taste like. When she couldn’t spot him anywhere in the crowd, she sighed in defeat. Looks like she was stuck here until the end of the festival.

Meanwhile, somewhere along the stands selling tako-pochi and sushi, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto were walking to where ever she was taking them. Matsumoto was scolding Hitsugaya like how a mother would chide her child.

“Taichou, all because of you that we’re gonna miss it!” Matsumoto said pessimistically. “You just had to finish the paperwork by today. For Christ’s sake, today is the annual festival!”

“Whatever,” Hitsugaya replied nonchalantly. “If you’d helped me with the paperwork, maybe we wouldn’t be missing whatever you’re showing me,” he retorted, but Matsumoto didn’t seem to have heard him. She was looking around, searching for Hinamori. _“The plan has to work! Shit, if only I remembered where her booth is...”_

“Matsumoto, where the hell are we going? Hey, are you listening to me?” Hitsugaya was getting annoyed, he had better things to do than be led around aimlessly by Matsumoto.

“Oh! There’s Shuuhei! Maybe he knows where she is,” Matsumoto said, walking towards him. He was with Renji and Kira who was carrying a bag of fishes which he had got from one of the stands. Hisagi noticed the vice-captain and waved. “Yo, Rangiku!” He spotted Hitsugaya and greeted him too with Renji and Kira following suit.

“Shuuhei!” Matsumoto called out. “Do you know where Hinamori is?” Hitsugaya perked up at the sound of her name. _“Hinamori? That’s right, I haven’t seen her at all yet.”_

“Hinamori? I’m not sure, isn’t she in charge of some booth?” Hisagi answered.

“Yeah, she is. I can’t find her though...”

“I know where she is,” Renji spoke up. “Just saw her a while ago. Her booth seemed to have a lot of customers. There were a lot of guys queuing up.”

“Where is she? Take me to her.”

“Sure. Hitsugaya-taichou, you coming?”

“Of course he’s coming!” Matsumoto said before Hitsugaya could answer and dragged him along. Kira, who was following, looked a little worried while Hisagi was clueless to the whole thing. They passed by a few stands selling Japanese delicacies and one selling pictures of captains and vice-captains (there were a lot of girls squealing over them). Finally, they reached the booth that Hinamori was stationed at. A lot of guys were still queuing up and blocked the group from seeing her.

“There she is!” Matsumoto exclaimed, tip-toeing. She moved in front to get a better view and the rest followed her. Hinamori’s hair came into view and soon, the group could see her very well. What Hitsugaya’s eyes saw made him rooted to the ground. He couldn’t blink, couldn’t move. He could only stare, dumbfounded. Not only because he saw her giving a guy a peck, but also because she was stunning. Hisagi whistled when he saw Hinamori in the furisode, giving the guy a kiss. If he wasn’t so astounded right now, Hitsugaya would have frozen Hisagi.

The next guy came up and tried to make out with Hinamori. She opened her eyes in surprise and quickly pulled away. Hitsugaya made a mental note to kill that guy later.

“Oh, so that’s what she in charge of...” Renji said.

After Hitsugaya had recovered from his shock, he asked, voice seething with anger (and jealousy), “Matsumoto, what is the meaning of this?” The vice-captain seemed unfazed by his reaction and said, “Well, looks like Hinamori has been quite busy.”

Hisagi, Renji and Kira glanced at Matsumoto worriedly. In case she didn’t know, Hitsugaya was furious. Actually, he was green with envy too. He wanted to shout at Matsumoto but she cut him off, saying, “Look! She’s going on her break now.”

Indeed, Hinamori excused herself from the booth and many customers groaned in disappointment. Hitsugaya felt like freezing them one by one and then send them to hell.

“You see taichou,” Matsumoto started. “It’s because you’re so slow that other guys have already kissed Hinamori.”

“Shut up. It’s none of your business.”

“Actually, Rangiku is right. You should have made your move earlier. After all, how many decades have you known her?” Hisagi said.

“Look, I don’t even feel-”

“Oh don’t give us that bullshit,” Renji interrupted. “The whole Seireitei knows that you’re in love with her and vice versa. So just tell her already.”

_Wait. Vice versa?_

“Uh huh,” Matsumoto agreed. “For a captain and vice-captain, you two are really dense. Look, this is your only chance you know. If you don’t do this now, who knows when you actually will? Besides, I think you better save her from all the perverts.”

“But, what-”

“No ‘buts’. Just go.”

“She already back from her break,” Kira informed.

“Go!” Matsumoto urged nudging him towards the front.

Hitsugaya wanted to protest but he couldn’t find his voice. He felt apprehensive about the whole thing. _“What if I mess up? What if she rejects me? What if I destroy our relationship just by doing this?”_ Hitsugaya was so deep in thought that he wasn’t aware that he was actually making his way to the front. Many were staring at him, wondering what in the world a captain like him was doing.

Just then, a random shinigami shouted out to him, “Hey! What are you trying to do? If you’re here for a kiss, get in line!” Apparently, he did not know death. Hitsugaya glared at him, his eyes throwing icy daggers. “So what if you’re a captain? Don’t think you can abuse your authority like this! I’ve waited a long time for a kiss with Hinamori-senpai and I’m not going to let some captain ruin it!” And apparently, he had a death wish.

The things that followed went by so fast nobody could comprehend it. All that was left was a frozen statue. The rest of the people in the queue were smart enough not to get in the way of Hitsugaya and let him pass. After all, he did give off the If-you-provoke-me-you’ll-end-up-worse-than-that-guy aura.

Hinamori had noticed the commotion and was wide-eyed by the time Hitsugaya made his way to her. Everyone was staring at the scene, wondering what was going to happen now that one of the most popular booths had stopped its activities due to a particular captain.

“Hitsugaya-kun...why are you here?” Sure, Hinamori wanted to see him, but not when she was doing her ‘duty’. She definitely didn’t want to get caught kissing other guys by the one she liked.

“What else would I be here for? This is a Kissing Booth isn’t it?” Hitsugaya replied coolly.

She didn’t hear wrongly did she? If she was right, was Hitsugaya here for a kiss? From her? Hinamori was gaping at him, her heart beating very fast. A deep shade of red started to creep onto her cheeks.

Hitsugaya stepped closer to her, out a lock of hair behind her ear and whispered, “You look beautiful.” She was starting to feel very hot. He put his hands on her waist and continued, “I don’t really like all those guys kissing you so now, it’s my turn.” He smiled.

Leaning in, their lips touched in sensual contact and a burst of emotions unleashed within themselves. His kiss was none like the other guys’ that Hinamori experienced. She found herself wrapping her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. They were vaguely aware of the audience watching in awe and Matsumoto’s cheer in the background. They were sure they heard Yachiru’s mad giggling too. They broke away, their noses touching and Hitsugaya breathed out, “You’re coming with me.”

Hinamori smiled shyly and nodded her head. In a flash, they were gone. Complaints and groans could be heard from the long queue of guys. Matsumoto stepped out and announced, “Okay people! Show’s over! The booth is closed.” The crowd started to disperse and soon, everyone was minding their own business. Matsumoto walked over to Hisagi and asked, “So you think you can publish an article on that by tomorrow?”

“Sure, no problem,” he replied.

“What about the pictures?”

“All in here,” said Hisagi as held up the camera and smirked.

“Perfect.”

The next few days were a turmoil of events. Hitsugaya had found out (to his surprise and pleasure) that Hinamori was an excellent kisser. He had also promptly sent the guys who visited Hinamori’s booth to the fourth division. And when he and Hinamori read the Seireitei Magazine the next day, they were shocked beyond words. There, for the whole Seireitei to see, were exclusive pictures of them kissing passionately on the festival day and an article written by Hisagi (and Matsumoto) on how the two had confessed their undying love for each other.

Matsumoto was then made to finish all the paperwork without any sake. She had complained that it was unfair since it was she who helped them get together. That caused Hitsugaya to find out that she was the one who had put Hinamori in charge of the booth and she landed herself into deeper trouble.

There were stares and murmurs whenever Hitsugaya and Hinamori were seen together but that slowly died down. Besides, they weren’t complaining were they?

* * *

“You know...we...should...thank...Rangiku-san...Toushirou!” Hinamori said between Hitsugaya’s kisses and gasped his name when he bit her sensitive spot.

He continued kissing her neck until she pulled away and sat up. “Did you hear what I just said?”

“Yeah, I did. You want to thank Matsumoto.” He played with her hair, curling them between his fingers.

“Uh huh. We should. After all, we got together because of her.”

“Sure. We’ll thank her. Tomorrow,” Hitsugaya replied and kissed her lips gently, slowly adding more force. Hinamori nodded her head and kissed back, letting Hitsugaya push her onto the futon.

She’ll thank Matsumoto tomorrow, provided she even remembers after tonight that is. 

-Owari- 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Furisode: A kind of clothing that unmarried women wear.


	4. Soft to the Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heavy implications.

** Chapter 4 **

** Soft to the Touch **

** Words: 912 **

As he lay there, taking in her beauty, he never would have thought that such a time would ever come. She lay there on her stomach, her back exposed. She was sleeping serenely and Hitsugaya was staring, wondering. Lusting.

He didn’t plan for it, one thing led to another as their passionate kiss evolved into something more. Something more than want, it went beyond the lines of desire, of need and into love. Hitsugaya did not know when it all began. When did he start to see her in another perspective? When was the time when he began to want to hold her and kiss her, not out of desire but of need. When did he start wanting to be more than just friends but lovers?

As Hitsugaya’s fingers danced across Hinamori’s back, as if playing a symphony, every part of his body emanated the need for her. He tucked a lock of her dark hair behind her ear, doing it ever so gently so that he wouldn’t wake her up. The petite girl shifted slightly, causing the white sheets to slide down her body a little.

He couldn’t resist. She was much too alluring. Hitsugaya buried his head in her exposed neck, taking in the scent of her which intoxicated him. He took a deep breath and kissed the flawless skin. His lips ran over the nape of her neck, nibbling and licking as he went. How did she manage to make him feel this way?

Hinamori stirred in her sleep. She was soon aware of something wet tickling her neck. A low sound emitted from her throat and she turned, facing Hitsugaya who was hovering above her. She remembered about their previous activity and smiled at him. Her eyes kept him locked in place and he leaned in, kissing her soft lips.  The kiss deepened as Hitsugaya slipped his tongue into her mouth, tasting her. Hinamori responded with as much passion and ran her fingers through his hair, keeping their lips locked together. When they finally parted, Hitsugaya said, “Sorry I woke you up.”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” she replied with a smile which was soon replaced by a tired yawn. To him, she looked adorable. Hitsugaya kissed her neck and she closed her eyes, savouring the moment, Hinamori wrapped her arms around his well-toned body as he mapped out her body with his tongue. Hitsugaya kissed her flawless skin, sucked on every sweet spot he knew and finally, hovered above the scar that marked Hinamori’s skin. That indelible scar that never failed to cause his heart to ache.

But not this time. It no longer made him feel guilty, nor did it make him feel that he had let her down. This time (and for more to come), the scar was a reminder of what they had gone through, of how he had protected her and kept her safe. It was a seal; a promise to be kept and never broken. One which he will protect her no matter what. The scar would linger on, like a stain that can never be washed away. She was alive and here with him, and that was all that mattered.

Hitsugaya placed his mouth over her scar, kissing his gently. He swirled his tongue around it and Hinamori’s breath hitched at such sensitive contact. He then slowly brought his head up, planting light feathery kisses onto her soft skin. Oh, how the taste of her skin drove him over the edge, craving for more. He wanted to taste every inch of her soft skin and inebriate himself with her scent. Upon reaching her neck, he gently kissed the skin there and nipped it, causing a red mark to appear, marking her as his.

Hinamori moaned softly at the delightful contact and the pleasure she was receiving. His sweet torturous actions were enough to drive her crazy. She gasped when he bit into the skin just below her ear. He noticed this and smirked, satisfied with the reaction he was getting. Hitsugaya continued licking at her sensitive spot, all the while sliding his hands up and down her sides.

As much as Hinamori wanted to return the favor, she couldn’t. She was tired. She loved the feeling of his mouth hot on her skin, and simply relished the sensation that coursed through her but their love-making not too long ago had rendered her exhausted and even sore. Hinamori just wanted to go back to sleep but Hitsugaya was keeping her awake.  She couldn’t help it, and just allowed him to do whatever he wanted. After all, she wasn’t really complaining. Hitsugaya seemed to sense her lack of action and pulled away. He stared at her. When Hinamori was finally aware that Hitsugaya had stopped, she opened her eyes, only to be met with his teal ones. Her russet eyes told him everything.

“You’re tired.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. He knew, heck, he was the one who had worn her out.

Hinamori nodded, closing her eyes once more. Hitsugaya suddenly felt guilty; she was weary and yet, he had kept her up.

“Sleep.”

Hinamori gladly obeyed. She shifted to her side, sleep taking over her body now. “Toushirou…” she murmured softly, cuddling up to him. Hitsugaya brought her close and draped an arm around her waist loosely. He pressed his lips on her forehead and pulled the covers up. Before sleep completely overtook him too, he caressed her scar lovingly, glad that he could finally claim Hinamori as his.

-Owari-


	5. Growth

** Chapter 5 **

** Growth **

** Words: 3416 **

“No wonder Hitsugaya-kun has so much paperwork to complete, there are so many reports concerning the 10th tenth…” vice-captain of the fifth division, Hinamori Momo said to herself. She was making her way to the 10th division, carrying a stack of papers that needed her childhood friend’s signature. The young lieutenant of the fifth grumbled in annoyance for the fourth time that day as she adjusted her uniform with her free hand. She had noticed, much to her surprise, that her uniform was a tad too small for her. Moreover, it was a little too tight, especially around her _chest area._ Hinamori had slipped into her uniform that morning and promptly found out that she was growing. A small smile tugged at her lips when she realized this, thinking that it was about time that she started to mature. After all, she most definitely did not want to fall too far behind Hitsugaya.

As her train of thought trailed towards her childhood friend, Hinamori’s cheeks were tinted a light shade of pink. It was true that she had grown, but Hitsugaya…well, he was a different story. The captain of the tenth had matured faster than her. So fast that the rude young boy Hinamori once knew from her past had been replaced by a gorgeous young man in a short amount of time. He had gained quite a few inches and was now taller than her. She could no longer bend down to him and pat his head but instead, had to look up to him when they conversed. Hitsugaya had more defined features and a more well-built body. With chiseled muscles and well-toned skin. All these had not helped Hinamori in curbing her feelings for her friend but had done the complete opposite instead. She was well aware of her emotions for him, his physical attributes and personality (which had mellowed over time) just made her fall harder for him. What she didn’t know was that he felt exactly the same way about her.

Hinamori shook away her thoughts about her childhood friend and concentrated on her task to deliver the reports. She groaned again, and pulled at her uniform to ease the discomfort around her chest. “I really have to get a new uniform.”

* * *

Matsumoto stared at her captain intently, studying him. _“How did he manage to grow so fast? He must have had one of the biggest growth spurts ever…”_

Hitsugaya noticed his lazy vice-captain’s gaze fixated upon him and he was getting irritated by it. “Matsumoto, will you stop staring at me and finish your paperwork?”

“Captain, you’ve been napping a lot lately, haven’t you?” the busty woman asked out of the blue.

Hitsugaya sighed. “I’m not you, okay?”

“That’s mean Captain! I do not nap a lot! In fact—”

She was cut off by the door sliding open and Hinamori entered. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto snapped their heads towards her and relaxed when it was just Hinamori.

“Oh. I’m sorry. Did I interrupt something?” Hinamori asked sheepishly.

“Hinamori, don’t you ever knock when you enter my office?” Hitsugaya asked.

“Well…no. I guess it’s a habit,” Hinamori replied and handed the reports to him, indicating that he had to sign all of them. “I do knock on the other captains’ doors though.”

“Great…” Hitsugaya said sarcastically. He looked at her and noticed something different about her. _“Did she put up her hair in a different way? No, it’s still in the same bun. Well, she did grow taller…”_ But there was something else that was different about her that Hitsugaya just couldn’t put his finger on.

Matsumoto, on the other hand, had noticed it right away. Yes, it was _that_ obvious, and partly because Matsumoto was just skilled in areas like this. Hinamori, who seemed to realize that she had not greeted Matsumoto, hastily turned to her. “Ah! Good morning Rangiku-san,” she greeted politely.

“Morning to you too, Hinamori,” Matsumoto smiled. “Ne, don’t you think that the tenth division has way too much paperwork to complete?” she complained

“Hmm? Yeah, I guess. Considering how most of my paperwork had something to do with the tenth division.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Uh-huh. Like the…”

While the two continued their idle chit-chat, Hitsugaya was studying Hinamori, trying to figure out what was different about her. His eyes scanned her from head to toe and back again. Suddenly, it hit him: _“Oh. Hinamori has bigger breasts.”_ Immediately, the blood rushed to his cheeks as h tore his gaze away from Hinamori’s chest, afraid that if he kept staring, he might start _thinking._ The blush stayed on his cheeks stubbornly and he resumed his paperwork in a futile attempt to distract himself. In no time, Hitsugaya’s gaze rested upon Hinamori’s… _asset_ again. Her uniform was taut across her chest, which made it obvious. _“She looks…nice.”_

Out of the corner of her eye, Matsumoto noticed her captain staring at Hinamori, in fact, he was staring at a _particular_ area. Matsumoto smirked as her mind concocted a devious plan.

“Hey, Hinamori” Matsumoto started, interrupting the girl. “I’ve noticed something different about you.”

She arched a brow curiously and asked, “What’s different about me?”

“Well, you look more womanly…more like me!” Matsumoto said.

Hinamori blushed, aware of what Matsumoto was actually pointing out. “Ah…r-really?”

“Yeah! You’re finally maturing. Don’t you think so Captain?” Matsumoto said as she tried to get a reaction from Hitsugaya. Hinamori’s blush deepened as felt awkward about discussing her _assets_ to her childhood friend.

“Tch. Like I would know,” Hitsugaya retorted, pretending that he didn’t know about her growth.

_“Liar.”_

He had quickly averted his gaze and was snapped out of his reverie when Matsumoto had called him. Now, all Hitsugaya wanted to do was to avoid looking straight at Hinamori for when he does, his eyes would automatically drop to Hinamori’s chest. Damn hormones.

“But Captain, how could you not know?! It’s quite obvious. Are you sure you’re not just pretending?” Matsumoto continued to taunt.

Before Hitsugaya let the blush creep back to his cheeks, he replied curtly, “Matsumoto, if you have the time to stand around and chit-chat, why don’t you finish your paperwork instead?”

“Aww, but Captain, I’ve already done a lot today. Besides, that’s not the point, we’re talking about Hinamori here!” Matsumoto exclaimed. The said girl could only watch in amusement and feel a little gauche.

Ignoring her last comment, Hitsugaya said, “Five pieces of paperwork is not a lot at all. Hinamori.”

“Yes?” she replied immediately.

“I’ve signed the reports.”

Hinamori walked towards his desk and took the reports he handed to her. She looked at him strangely. Was that a blush she just saw? Hinamori wondered why he wouldn’t look at her at all. _“Is something wrong? Why do I have the feeling that Hitsugaya-kun is hiding something from me?”_ The white-haired captain quickly went back to scribbling on the paperwork, all the while not looking at Hinamori.

“Well, I think I better go now,” Hinamori sad tentatively, feeling weird about Hitsugaya’s strange behavior. “See you later Rangiku-san, Hitsugaya-kun.”

“See you later Hinamori,” Matsumoto said cheerily as she waved while Hitsugaya just grunted in reply. Once the fifth division lieutenant stepped out of the office, Matsumoto turned to her captain and said cheekily, “Feeling horny now, aren’t you Captain?”

Hitsugaya let his eyes go wide for just a fraction of a second before he gained his composure and replied, “What the hell are you talking about Matsumoto?” Oh, how he wanted to run away from the conversation right there and then.

“Don’t try to hide it Captain. I know all about it, especially the way you stared at her!”

“Matsumoto…shut up,” Hitsugaya said through clenched teeth. He couldn’t let her continue; he _knew_ about the way he looked at Hinamori and he did not want Matsumoto to voice it out!

“You were staring at her breasts!” Matsumoto continued. How he wished she wouldn’t say it so easily. “And, you were practically drooling over her!” Apparently, Matsumoto found this amusing and laughed. Hitsugaya’s eyebrow began to twitch. “I bet you were thinking of _doing_ her in your mind!”

That was the last straw. Hitsugaya snapped. “Matsumoto,” he had finally gotten her attention as the temperature in the office dropped ten degrees all of a sudden. “Get out.” The vice-captain got the message and promptly left, her smirk still resting upon her features.

Hitsugaya felt a headache coming on. _“Why do I have to deal with this?”_ He rubbed his temples and sighed deeply. Why did Matsumoto have to be so alert concerning such matters? Besides, how in the world did she know that Hitsugaya actually did thought of doing Hinamori in his mind? 

* * *

After Hinamori had submitted her reports, she briskly made her way to get a uniform. She frowned, thinking about Hitsugaya’s strange behavior just now. He was obviously avoiding eye contact with her and wondered why. As Hinamori was pondering over the matter, she failed to notice a few hungry stares that were cast her way. She seemed to emanate a much more feminine aura around her. The fifth division lieutenant was cute and pretty, and given her recent growth, it was no wonder how she attracted the attention of more men.

Coincidently, Hinamori had bumped into Matsumoto along the hallway. “Hey Hinamori,” Matsumoto greeted her.

“Oh, Rangiku-san, it’s you again. How come you’re not in the office?” Hinamori asked.

“Oh, I got kicked out,” Matsumoto answered and shuddered at the re-collection of the rapidly decreasing temperature. Matsumoto had taken note of the stares and the occasional whispers directed towards Hinamori. She eyes the men seriously and wondered how Hinamori could be so dense. But she was impressed. The petite shinigami could attract that much attention without even trying. After all, Hinamori was one of the most attractive shinigamis in the Gotei 13.

“Kicked out? What happened?” Hinamori inquired.

“Nothing much. I just hit a raw nerve,” Matsumoto replied.

“Okay…” Hinamori did not understand what that was supposed to mean but she decided not to pursue the matter. “Rangiku-san, do you think…that Hitsugaya-kun was…um, acting a little strange just now?” Hinamori asked, hoping that Matsumoto could shed some light onto the subject.

“You mean the whole ‘avoiding eye contact’ thing?”

“Yeah. You noticed it too?” Hinamori asked. _“So I am right.”_

“Sure. It was obvious.”

“Why was he doing that? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, of course not. Let’s just say that you’re making him feel like a hormonal teenager.”

 _“Hormonal teenager?”_ Hinamori was too innocent and pure to know what that meant.

“Look,” Matsumoto said. “Don’t worry about it. Pay him a visit and just ask him about it. It’ll turn out well, trust me. Okay, I have to go. I need to tell Renji how Kira acted last night when he was drunk,” Matsumoto said and with a wave, she hurried over to Renji. Hinamori was left to ponder upon what her friend just told her. _“Okay…”_  

* * *

The next day, Hinamori headed for the tenth division again. It seemed like the Gotei 13 had much more paperwork recently and she had been running to different divisions so that she could submit her reports on time. Matsumoto’s words stayed fresh in her mind and she decided to ask Hitsugaya about it. No harm done right?

Wrong. And yes, she was still wearing her small uniform. She was told that her new uniform would only be ready two days later. Upon reaching the tenth division office, Hinamori let herself in without knocking. It was no surprise to Hitsugaya that he found Hinamori stepping into his office. The first thing he noticed about her was that damned uniform she was wearing. Why couldn’t she come back tomorrow or something, when she got a new uniform? Hitsugaya groaned inwardly, that uniform brought _images_ to his mind and did he mention how it brought out her curves more? _“Just avoid eye contact…and act normal…”_ That proved to be a feat for the tenth division captain.

“Good morning Hitsugaya-kun,” Hinamori greeted politely, although her usual cheerfulness was not present in her voice.

“It’s Captain Hitsugaya to you; and you didn’t knock. Again.”

“Oh. Sorry,” Hinamori apologized. He still didn’t look at her when he talked to her, all the while signing his name on the reports. That was slowly getting on Hinamori’s nerves and made her more determined to find out why he was behaving that way. She walked towards him and placed the reports on his desk. When Hitsugaya thought she was about to leave, she surprised him b taking a seat on one of the couches.

He arched an eyebrow and asked, his gaze never leaving the pieces of paper, “Is there anything else?” he asked.

“Actually, there is,” Hinamori replied. She suddenly felt apprehensive about this. Maybe it was her fault that he was behaving strangely. Maybe she did something wrong. Should she even be asking him about this?

“Hinamori?” Hitsugaya asked again, taking a sip of tea from his cup.

“Do I make you feel like a hormonal teenager?” Hinamori suddenly blurted out. Hitsugaya choked on his tea and maybe even inhaled some of it. _“What the hell did she just say? Did she just call me a ‘hormonal teenager’?”_ Did he hear right? Hinamori was startled when he started to choke on his tea and rushed to his side.

“Are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you choke like that,” Hinamori said apologetically. She patted his back lightly when his coughing fit did not cease. _“Too…close…”_

When his coughing fit finally died down, he said a little breathlessly, “I’m fine…Just…where the hell did you get that notion from?”

“Rangiku-san. She told me that I was making you feel like a hormonal teenager yesterday. I have no idea what that means though. I’m really sorry…” Hinamori said sheepishly.

_“Matsumoto. I knew it. Who else would be telling her such false tales? Fine, maybe they aren’t false after all, but still! Tch. I swear I’m going to—”_

“Hitsugaya-kun?” Hinamori asked worriedly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to answer the question. I just…wanted to know why you were behaving strangely yesterday…and now too.”

“What do you mean?” Hitsugaya feigned ignorance. A blush was beginning to spread across his cheeks. He continued avoiding her gaze because he was afraid of what might happen if he didn’t. Yes, it was that bad.

“Well…you don’t look at me when we’re talking…like now!” It’s like you’re hiding something from me. Hitsugaya-kun, did I do something wrong? You’re behaving very strangely and— Look at me when I’m talking to you!” Hinamori practically shouted out the last sentence. She was fed-up with the whole ‘avoiding me’ game already.

Hitsugaya was taken aback by Hinamori’s sudden change in tone and faced her with his wide teal eyes. Big mistake. _“God, she’s cute when she’s angry.”_ Hinamori’s hands were placed on his desk and she was staring at him intently, wearing an indignant look on her face and her lips formed a small pout in annoyance. Hitsugaya’s gaze dropped to her chest and it was hard not to stare. He could see a little of her cleavage, for Pete’s sake! The young captain thought he was about to die.

“Hitsugaya-kun, I’m talking—” All of a sudden, Hinamori was silenced by a pair of soft, warm lips over her own. Her russet eyes widened in surprise as she registered the fact that Hitsugaya was kissing her. Instead of pulling away and telling him that this wrong, she found herself enjoying the feel of his lips upon hers. Hinamori closed her eyes and kissed back; Hitsugaya was surprised by her response, thinking that she would push him away. He was more than jubilant to feel Hinamori kissing back. He parted his mouth and licked Hinamori’s bottom lip. Hinamori, who seemed to have had the realization of Hitsugaya trying to _make out_ with her hit her at full force, jerked away suddenly and stared at him in disbelief.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Hitsugaya spoke. “Look Hinamori, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

This time, Hinamori kissed him. Her bold action surprised Hitsugaya pleasantly and brought a blush to her cheeks. “It’s okay…I…um…liked it,” Hinamori said so softly that Hitsugaya had to strain his ears to hear her. She was blushing furiously and was beginning to feel terribly shy.

“Hinamori.” She looked up at him. “The reason why I was acting strange was because I was afraid…that I might…lose control.”

“Huh? But why?”

“You know, your uniform isn’t exactly fitting. It makes… _certain_ things…more _obvious_.”

Hinamori’s blush turned a darker shade, if that was even possible. “Oh…I see…”

“Hinamori, in case you don’t know…”

“I know,” Hinamori answered. She did know what he wanted to say. She finally knew about his feelings towards her and she did know it was making him feel embarrassed saying it out loud by the evident blush on his cheeks. Hinamori smiled sweetly at him and he felt his heart skip a beat. Hitsugaya leaned in, wanting to taste more of her lips. He covered her mouth with his and it was then he realized how perfectly their mouths melted into the kiss. For the first time in his life, Hitsugaya was grateful that Matsumoto had arrived at the office very late that day. 

* * *

“You don’t have to accompany me you know…” Hinamori said. Hitsugaya and Hinamori were making their way to collect Hinamori’s uniform.

“I want to. Besides, I made sure that Matsumoto would finish the paperwork when I get back,” Hitsugaya assured her. _“She deserves it for telling Hinamori that she made me feel like a hormonal teenager.”_

“Okay…thank you.”

Hitsugaya and Hinamori decided to take thins slowly. After what happened yesterday, they were official but still were not yet at the point where they would display their affection for each other publicly. Anyone who saw them now would think that they were still just friends. Moreover, Hinamori was still terribly shy when it came to kissing him. When she had found out what ‘hormonal teenager’ meant, her face immediately began to heat up and the rush of blood dyed her cheeks a deep scarlet. Hitsugaya had been quite disturbed when she called him that however, he was glad that he had decided to accompany Hinamori.

If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have known how many bastards were staring at Hinamori. It was a force of will not to freeze them right there and then. Another one stared, with a goofy grin plastered on his face. He promptly backed away when he caught the white-haired captain glaring at him. Hitsugaya sighed heavily at the fact that Hinamori was always so oblivious to her surroundings and it made him glad to know that he was the one who would protect her.

Hinamori heard Hitsugaya sigh and looked at him, concern written all over her face. “What’s wrong Hitsugaya-kun?”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Hinamori frowned, knowing that it wasn’t just ‘nothing’ and made that same small pout with her mouth. Hitsugaya couldn’t help but chuckle at her expression. He pulled her into a corner and pressed her against the wall.

“I just hate it when other people keep staring at you,” he whispered into her ear.

Hinamori blushed and managed to say, “W-What are you talking about?”

Hitsugaya didn’t answer, instead, he pressed his lips against hers gently and snaked his arms around her waist, bringing her close to him. He savored the feeling of Hinamori responding to his kiss, her mouth hot against his. As she slowly brought her hands up to rest upon his chest, he sucked on her bottom lip, wetting it with a coat of saliva. Hinamori parted her lips and gave him permission to enter. Hitsugaya boldly explored her mouth with his tongue and subconsciously wrapped her little tighter. The feeling of Hitsugaya’s tongue in her mouth brought a new sensation to her body.

When the kiss broke and they parted, Hitsugaya rested his forehead upon hers, their breaths mingling with each others’. A light blush could be seen on Hinamori’s cheeks and she looked at him, her brown eyes telling him of her excitement under those lashes. She smiled and Hitsugaya swore his heart melted then. He leaned in, giving her a small peck on her lips.

“You really do behave like a hormonal teenager,” Hinamori said teasingly and giggled.

“Please don’t say that.” 

-Owari-


	6. Jealousy

 

** Chapter 6 **

** Jealousy **

** Words: 3428 **

The hall was filled with shinigamis, all of them waiting in anticipation for the results of their application forms to the different divisions of the Gotei 13 Protection Squads. Shinigamis were mingling here and there, telling one another of their aspirations to become a captain and so on. This was the day when shinigamis were recruited into the Gotei 13 as a seated officer or not. Hitsugaya Toushirou looked around him, searching for a certain dark-haired vice-captain. _“Looks like she isn’t here yet.”_ Indeed, Hinamori Momo wasn’t present in the noisy hall and Hitsugaya wondered if she woke up late again. She had always been a late riser after all. He sighed and leaned back into his chair. Matsumoto, who was sitting next to him, said, “What’s wrong Captain?”

“Nothing,” he answered dully. He really hated crowded places.

“Is it because Hinamori isn’t here yet? Come on Captain, you just saw her yesterday!”

“Shut up Matsumoto, I didn’t say that.” Trust his vice-captain to say such things, no matter how true they are.

“But you’re thinking it,” Matsumoto countered.

“Whatever.”

Just then, Kuchiki Byakuya entered the hall, causing a little commotion among several of the female shinigamis. They giggled to themselves and blushed when the stoic captain of the sixth walked past them to his seat across the hall from Hitsugaya. The white-haired captain was really getting bored with all the waiting. The sudden mention of Hinamori’s name from one of the shinigamis perked him up.

“Man, I really hope to get into the fifth division, Hinamori-sempai would be there,” a male shinigami with jet black hair said, loud enough for Hitsugaya to hear.

“You should refer Vice-Captain Hinamori by her proper title, Tatsuya,” another said. “Besides, the fifth division doesn’t have a captain right?”

“Exactly,” the one called Tatsuya replied. “That way, I can rise up the ranks with my skills and be the next captain of the fifth!”

His friend laughed at his far-fetched ambition and said, “Are you sure you’re up to it?”

“What do you mean by that?!” Tatsuya said, offended.

“Nothing, nothing,” he chuckled. Hitsugaya thought it was such a joke. That so-called Tatsuya guy was a joke. It’s a century too early for someone like him to become a captain. Hitsugaya had already begun to dislike him, mostly because of his desire to be recruited into the fifth division was to be close to Hinamori.

“But it’s nice, being able to be under Vice-Captain Hinamori…” a rather shy blond shinigami said. “Vice-Captain Hinamori has such a nice personality and she treats everyone so kindly. I really hope I can work under her.”

Hitsugaya noticed a light blush spread across his cheeks and couldn’t hold back the urge to roll his eyes. Who didn’t know Hinamori had a nice personality? And what’s up with the number of people having a crush on _his_ girlfriend? That didn’t happen before and Hitsugaya was not pleased.

“Oh shut up Kawamura,” Hitsugaya heard a loud-spoken redhead say jokingly. “We all know you got the hots for Vice-Captain Hinamori after she helped you out last year.”

Kawamura seemed to blush even harder as he stared down at his feet. Hitsugaya didn’t know Hinamori was _that_ popular among the newcomers. Many seemed to have known her and come to think of it, there were a lot of application forms for the fifth division when he and Hinamori were looking through them three days ago. 

* * *

** Three days ago **

Hitsugaya was currently in the fifth division office with Hinamori and they were both shuffling through stacks of papers.

“Wahh…there’s so many forms to go through, how are we supposed to get this done on time?” Hinamori lamented, looking at the amount of application forms dejectedly.

“We might if we start now,” Hitsugaya said, looking through his own papers as well.

“By the way Shiro-chan, why are you doing your work here? I mean, I don’t mind at all, but don’t you usually do your work in your own office?” Hinamori inquired.

“It’s Matsumoto. She had a drinking party in my office without my permission and it’s filled with a bunch of drunken retards now. I couldn’t possibly work in that kind of environment so I came here,” Hitsugaya replied, trying to clear the image of Kira lying on his floor wearing only his underwear.

“Oh, I see. Well, that’s just her. Don’t punish her okay Shiro-chan?”

“Not okay and don’t call me ‘Shiro-chan’. It’s Captain Hitsugaya.”

There was a moment’s silence before Hinamori spoke again. “You don’t really want me to call you that,” she said in a as-a-matter-of-fact tone.

Hitsugaya didn’t respond. It is true that he didn’t want her to call him that, he had just said it out of habit. After all, they had only started dating for two weeks.

“Wow…” Hinamori said in awe, breaking the silence. She scanned through the application form and was more impressed than ever.

“What is it?” Hitsugaya asked curiously and walked to her side.

As he read the application form in Hinamori’s hand, the latter said, “This guy graduated from the Academy one year earlier than other students. His combat skills are excellent, as well as his swordsmanship skills. His demon arts abilities are commended too. He could easily attain a seated position.”

“That’s nothing much,” Hitsugaya said, clearly not as impressed as Hinamori was.

“What? He has even obtained his shikai, surely that’s something to commend about considering how young he is,” Hinamori said. “Besides, it’s nothing much to you because you’re a genius.”

“So are you going to recruit him?” Hitsugaya asked despite knowing the answer already.

“Of course I am! It’ll be a pity not to,” Hinamori answered and marked the application form as ‘Approved’.

“You seem to have a lot more application forms than the last time Hinamori,” Hitsugaya commented.

“Hmm? I suppose so…there is an increase in the number of shinigamis that graduate this year. Maybe that’s why…” Hinamori’s voice trailed off as she concentrated on her work.

“That’s not the only reason…” Hitsugaya thought to himself. He remembered what Matsumoto told him a few days ago, about Hinamori making new friends at the Academy. That Academy had been short on Demon Arts teachers and since Hinamori was a master in Demon Arts, she was told to relief some of the classes. Due to her cheerful personality, her kind attitude and effective teaching methods, she had befriended many of them and was even looked up to. According to Matsumoto, Hinamori was on extremely good terms with her students and some of them had even been carrying a torch for her.

Hitsugaya didn’t believe her until he saw one of them making a pass at her. He had been standing close to Hinamori, too close for her comfort and was obviously trying to flirt with her. Hinamori of course, didn’t know how to push him away. It was only when Hitsugaya suddenly appeared in front of them and dropped the temperature by several degrees did the poor guy backed away, realizing that Hinamori belonged to Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya had been keeping an eye on Hinamori since then. He didn’t want to seem too possessive of her but he just couldn’t seem to stop the rampaging jealousy that coursed throughout his system whenever he saw her with one of her male students. Hitsugaya knew Hinamori wouldn’t cheat on him, but he wanted to be able to beat the crap out of anyone who dared to flirt with his girlfriend. As much as Hitsugaya hated to admit it, he had felt jealous.

“You have quite a lot of application forms too, Hitsugaya-kun,” Hinamori said, breaking his train of thoughts. “Looks like your division is quite popular.”

“That doesn’t change anything. I will only recruit those whom I see fit to join my division.”

Hinamori had walked over to him and looked through some of his papers. “A lot of them are female,” Hinamori commented. “Rather pretty ones too.”

“So what?” Hitsugaya said, staring right into her brown eyes.

“So…maybe your division isn’t the one that’s popular,” Hinamori replied and stared back at him with the same intensity. “Maybe you’re the one that’s popular. I heard how well-liked you are among many of the shinigamis at the Academy. Apparently, you appeal to them a lot.”

“I could say the same thing about you,” Hitsugaya said, not taking his eyes off hers. “Besides, I don’t care whether they’re pretty or not, as long as they can fight well.”

Hinamori began to walk back to her desk and said, “Well Hitsugaya-kun, I’m glad you—”

She stopped short in her speech when Hitsugaya caught hold of her wrist, halting her in her footsteps. Hinamori turned to look at him with curious eyes.

“And…who needs then when I already have you?” Hitsugaya said rather uncharacteristically as he smirked at her. He tugged at her wrist and brought her closer to him.

Hinamori blushed under his gaze and said, “Subordinates are as important too you know.”

“No they’re not,” Hitsugaya told her and set her on his lap sideways. He drew her closer to him and Hinamori could feel his breath fanning against her ear. “You know, seeing you with your students had made me feel a little possessive. I’m jealous Momo,” he admitted and kissed the spot under her ear. It seemed like only times like this did he call her by her given name.

Hinamori gripped his haori tightly as he continued kissing her. “T-Toushirou, we won’t be able to finish our work if we continue…”

“Screw that,” Hitsugaya said and turned her head towards him. He kissed her slowly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Hinamori soon forgot about the work as she delighted in her lover’s kisses. She shifted her position and swung one leg over Hitsugaya’s, her whole body now facing his. Their lips never left each other’s as they continued to kiss passionately. Hitsugaya slid his hands up her thighs and to her hips and waist, feeling every curve she had on her body. He slanted his mouth against hers and used his tongue to part her lips. He slid his tongue in and began to explore the caverns of her mouth. Hinamori let out a small moan as her fingers played with Hitsugaya’s white hair. 

* * *

“Hey Captain,” Matsumoto called to Hitsugaya. “Those girls over there seem to be staring at you.” She jerked a thumb in their direction as she eyed her captain.

Hitsugaya let his travel to where Matsumoto was pointing and spotted a bunch of girls giggling to themselves when they caught his gaze.

“Must be your fans…” Matsumoto said, causing Hitsugaya to roll his eyes. Just then, the doors of the hall opened and Hinamori walked in briskly. She carried a stack of papers and seemed to be embarrassed for being one of the later vice-captains to arrive.

“Good morning Hinamori-sempai!” the one called Tatsuya greeted her cheerfully.

“Good morning,” Hinamori replied, not minding the fact that he didn’t call her by her proper title, and smiled at him. She returned the greetings of others pleasantly and hurried to her seat next to Renji. Hinamori caught Hitsugaya looking at her and smiled sweetly at him. She gave him a little wave and Hitsugaya’s expression softened immediately as he smiled his half-smile at her. After all the captains and vice-captains had arrived, the results were finally processed. The graduated shinigamis listened attentively as the captains and vice-captains read out the names of the shinigamis that were recruited into their division.

When the whole event had ended, leaving many in high spirits and in low, Hitsugaya made his way over to Hinamori and overheard someone say to his friend, “Hey, it’s not that bad. Being in the tenth division is good too.”

“Yeah, I guess. But you’re so lucky you get to be in the division you wanted. I really wanted to be recruited into the fifth division,” the friend said gloomily.

Hitsugaya had subconsciously slowed down his pace as he continued to eavesdrop on the conversation.

“Don’t worry. You have a higher chance of seeing Vice-Captain Hinamori than people from the other divisions.”

“Really? Why?”

“There’s a rumor going on that the tenth division captain is going out with Vice-Captain Hinamori.”

“Are you serious?”

Hitsugaya had stopped walking completely and wondered how the hell he found that out. Neither he nor Hinamori had told anyone outside the Gotei 13 about their relationship. He memorized the guy’s face and made a mental note to keep an eye on him. Hitsugaya didn’t realize that Hinamori was walking towards him and almost bumped into her.

“Hitsugaya-kun,” Hinamori called to him.

“Hinamori…”

“Do you want to have lunch together?” Hinamori asked as they walked out of the hall together.

“Sure.”

* * *

The next few days had caused Hitsugaya to be in a bad mood. He had been unable to spend much time with Hinamori. She had been too busy spending time with her subordinates, training them and teaching them the ropes. In short, Hitsugaya was neglected. He wasn’t too happy with the fact that Hinamori spends more time with her subordinates than with him. The only times that were spent together with him were during lunch and breaks which she didn’t really have much of. Sometimes, she was even too busy or too tired to spend time with him at the end of the day.

Hitsugaya walked sulkily down the hallways of the fifth division hoping to meet up with Hinamori and heard footsteps running in his direction. He turned round a corner and almost collided into Hinamori who was panting breathlessly. They both stopped just in time to avoid the collision.

“Hitsugaya-kun! I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you coming. You startled me a little.”

“Sorry. Are you okay?” Hitsugaya asked as Hinamori tried to catch her breath.

“Yes, I’m fine. What brings you here, Hitsugaya-kun?”

“Oh…I’m just passing by.”

“Oh…okay, um…”

There was an awkward silence as Hitsugaya thought of what to say.

“I have to go now,” Hinamori spoke up. “I have to deliver these papers as soon as possible and I’m already late for training my new subordinates. I’ll see you around okay?”

“Yeah…sure.”

Before Hinamori walked out of sight, she turned around and called out to him. “Hitsugaya-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“Um…I’m sorry I haven’t been spending much time with you. As you know, my division doesn’t have a captain yet so I’m in charge of everything, that’s why I’m so busy,” Hinamori explained. “So…why don’t you come over to my quarters later? At the end of the day I mean.”

Hitsugaya noticed a light blush staining Hinamori’s cheeks and said without hesitation, “Sure, I will.”

“Great! I’ll see you later then.”

As Hinamori rushed off, two shinigamis ran to her and one of them said, “Hinamori-sempai, there you are! You didn’t arrive at the training grounds so we came to look for you.”

Hitsugaya recognized him as Tatsuya and nodded in reply when they greeted and bowed to him.

“I’m sorry,” Hinamori apologized. “I have to deliver these papers first.”

“Here, we’ll help you with that.”

“Thank you.”

As Hitsugaya left, he let a small smile ghost over his features. He was finally able to spend more time with Hinamori.

That night, as Hitsugaya entered Hinamori’s quarters, he found her scribbling on a few pieces of papers.

“Hey,” Hinamori greeted him, looking up from her work.

“Hey. Don’t tell me you’re doing paperwork this late at night,” he said. Hitsugaya walked towards her and leaned against her desk.

“I don’t have a choice,” Hinamori said gloomily. “Hisagi-san has been pestering me to submit my work on time.”

Hitsugaya sighed and placed his hand over Hinamori’s, stopping her from writing. She looked up and gave him a quizzical look.

“Hinamori, I didn’t come here to see you work.”

“I know…” Hinamori said apologetically. “I’m sorry, but—”

“I think you’ve done enough work for the day. You’ve been so busy training your subordinates and doing paperwork that you hardly have enough time for us, and for yourself. Whenever I see you, you’re always rushing off to somewhere, most of the time to your subordinates. We haven’t even spent one day together yet.”

When Hitsugaya finished his rant, his teal eyes were already boring into Hinamori’s hazel ones. She stared at him, speechless. What he said was true. When Hinamori finally realized what Hitsugaya was getting at, she giggled softly.

“Shirou-chan…are you…jealous?”

Hitsugaya seemed unfazed at her question. He had long figured that out.

“Yes, I _am_ jealous. I’m jealous of your new subordinates who get to spend more time with you than I.” He leaned closer to her and their faces were inches apart now. Their lips were drawing closer and their noses were almost touching.

“Sorry,” Hinamori whispered and smiled when he kissed her. Hitsugaya pressed his lips forcefully against hers and she squeaked in surprise.

When he broke away from the kiss for a second, Hinamori took the chance to say, “Toushirou, I—”

Before Hinamori had the chance to say anything more, Hitsugaya leaned in and captured her lips again. He kept kissing her and breaking away, kissing her mouth in different places and leaving her speech in broken sentences.

“Toushirou—I promise…that I’ll spend…Hitsugaya!”

Hinamori turned her head away to stop him from planting kisses all over her lips. She glared at him, frustrated that he wouldn’t let her finish what she wanted to say.

“Yes?”

“I wanted to say, that I promise I’ll spend more time with you when I’ve settled everything in my division.”

Hitsugaya had been playing with her hair all the while and curled them between his fingers. He tugged at the ribbon on her bun cloth and slowly pulled it loose.

“And…” Hinamori continued. “Are you listening to me at all?”

Hitsugaya looked at her and replied, “Yes.” He held the bun cloth in his palm, letting Hinamori’s hair cascade down her back and said, “So you better keep your promise.”

“I will.”

Hitsugaya kissed her again, this time very gently, and dropped her bun cloth onto the floor. He moved away from her lips and started kissing her neck with his fingers sliding through her silky tresses. He nibbled at her neck which soon left a red mark. Hitsugaya was tired of standing and kissing Hinamori while she was still seated down. He stopped kissing her neck and pulled her into his arms. Hinamori took the opportunity to kiss his neck, hoping she could leave a mark there as well. Suddenly, Hitsugaya reached down and carried her up in a bridal style, causing Hinamori to squeak out. She let Hitsugaya carry her into her room while she continued sucking at his neck.

* * *

The next day, Hitsugaya made his way to the fifth division’s training grounds. He wondered why Hinamori had requested him to go there that day.

Upon reaching his destination, Hitsugaya was taken by surprise. The presence of the new members from his division surprised him. From the looks of it, they were training with the members of the fifth division. While Hitsugaya was looking at the shinigamis training, Hinamori had already walked to him.

“Hitsugaya-kun.”

“Hinamori, what’s this all about?”

“Our division members are training together of course,” Hinamori answered enthusiastically. “I came up with the idea.”

“You told me to come over just to see our division members training together?” Hitsugaya asked.

“No silly. You’re going to help me lead them.”

“Good afternoon Captain Hitsugaya!” the shinigamis greeted in unison and bowed respectfully. Hitsugaya replied them with a greeting of his own and they proceeded with their training.

“It’s a great idea isn’t it?” Hinamori asked. “This way, we can carry out our duties _and_ spend time with each other simultaneously!” Hinamori beamed at him and he couldn’t help but sigh.

“Hinamori, you know this isn’t how I wanted us to spend time together right?” Hitsugaya told her. “I meant to be alone. Just the two of us.”

Hinamori blushed lightly and replied, “I know…I promised I will didn’t I? But for now…can we just settle for this?”

“Fine,” Hitsugaya finally complied after hesitating a while.

“Thank you!” Hinamori said in gratification and gave Hitsugaya’s hand a little squeeze. She would have given him a kiss if their division members weren’t around.

“See! I told you there was something going on between them!” one of the shinigamis from the tenth division said to another one from the fifth.

“Oh God, so it _is_ true…”

“I must tell the rest!” 

-Owari-


	7. 20 Questions

** Chapter 7 **

** 20 Questions **

** Words: 3785 **

Wasted.

Everyone in the room was wasted.

That would be how Hitsugaya described the situation. He grudgingly picked up another can of soda from the pile of empty pizza boxes and badly stained floor which used to be Ichigo's living room floor and threw it in the garbage bag. He gave a malevolent stare at his so-called friends who were drunk, asleep or God-knows-what. If it wasn't for Hinamori who decided to help clean up the mess, he wouldn't even have bothered. Hinamori was almost done with the mess they had made in the kitchen and headed towards the living room to giveHitsugaya a hand.

'Thanks for helping out, Hitsugaya-kun,' Hinamori said, picking up a half-empty can Renji had dropped. The white-haired boy just grunted in reply and continued cleaning up.

'Why am I doing this again?' he asked, quite fed up with being stuck to cleaning the mess.

'Because you're a really great friend who can't stand the mess they made?' Hinamori said, hopeful that it would erase his tetchy mood a little.

'Oh how true,' he replied sarcastically. Hinamori sighed and tried again, 'Okay...because I can't stand the mess they made and need help to clean it up and since you're the only one who's sober, I asked you to help.' She looked at him with pleading eyes and smiled when his expression softened and murmured a soft 'fine'.

When they were almost done, they surveyed the room and was a little relieved that it was almost cleared of all the rubbish. However, the rest of them were all scattered around the living room, asleep and very drunk. 'It's kind of nice now that they're quiet...' Hinamori stated. 'They'll get a hangover in the morning though...'

'Serves them right. It's their fault for finishing all those bottles of alcohol.'

The brown-eyed girl giggled. 'They look kind of funny. Kira-kun is going to get a backache tomorrow in that position.' Hitsugaya sighed heavily, everyone else was almost in the same state as Kira. Renji was lying on the couch, looking as if he was about to barf any minute.  Ichigo, Hisagi and Ikkaku were all sprawled across the floor sleeping. Rukia, Orihime and Matsumoto were leaning against one another, sleeping too. At least Chad and Yumichika had already left. And the worst thing was, Ishida was slumped against the wall, mumbling incoherently about sunflower seeds.

'Anyway, thanks for helping, Hitsugaya-kun,' Hinamori said, her voice breaking his train of thought.

'Yeah, whatever.' Sometimes, Hitsugaya thought she was too kind for her own good. It wasn't even her house anyway.

'You want something to drink?' she asked.

'It's fine.'

'Okay,' she said, and headed towards the kitchen to get herself one.

Hitsugaya was relieved that they were in their wasted state. At least they wouldn't be able to create embarrassing moments for him and Hinamori such as just now.

* * *

_'This is torture,' Hitsugaya thought, as he eyed his childhood friend from the corner of his eye._

_This is boring. What's the point of locking us up in here anyway?' Hinamori asked quizically._

_'Well, what else can a sixteen-year-old boy and girl do when they are locked up in a dark room for ten minutes?!' he screamed in his head. But of course, Hinamori's mind did not stray that way. He swore they were doing this on purpose._

_'Hitsugaya-kun, are you alright?' Hinamori asked. 'You haven't said a word since they locked us in. Are you claustrophobic or something?' She looked at him worriedly and crawled over since the damn closet was too small and cramped to allow any walking._

_As she edged closer, Hitsugaya could feel his heart beating faster with every step she took. He was surprised she couldn't hear his heartbeat when it practically pulsed in his ears. When she placed her hand on his forehead to check for a fever or something of the sort, he lost control. The skin-to-skin contact made it unbearable for him to soothe his raging heart any longer. He grabbed her wrist and just when he wanted to pull her to him, the door to the closet flung open._

_In that moment, he swore he was going to kill Ikkaku. Just when he decided to make the first move, it had to be ruined. So there they were, Hinamori on all fours and Hitsugaya holding on to her wrist, looking as if he was about to start something and the rest of them staring like something amazing was going to happen._

_Moments later, Hitsugaya overheard their conversation about the earlier incident._

_'If you didn't open that door...'_

_'Hey! How was I supposed to know he decided to go for it at the exact same time I decided to open the door?' Ikkaku defended himself._

_'Something was about to happen you idiot, and you ruined it!' Matsumoto almost shouted._

_'Well we didn't hear anything!'_

_'YET,' Matsumoto corrected. 'We didn't hear anything yet.'_

_Hitsugaya pretended he did not just hear that conversation._

* * *

Hinamori appeared with a glass of drink and plopped herself down on the living room floor. Hitsugaya followed suit and ran a hand through his hair. 'What are we going to do now? They're drunk as hell, we've almost finished cleaning up and I'm not even tired yet.' He tried his best not to think about the fact that he was alone with the girl whom he had a crush on since who-knows-when. He figured the rest didn't count as existing people since they were all too drunk to register anything in their minds.

'Well...we could play a game,' Hinamori suggested. At that, Hitsugaya raised his eyebrows. Before he could say anything though, Hinamori blurted out, '20 questions!'

'Isn't that game-'

'For all ages,' Hinamori finished his sentence. 'Come on, I know we've known each other since young, but it can't hurt to know more right?'

'Fine.' Hitsugaya complied, unable to ignore the imploring quality in her voice.

'Okay, I'll ask the questions!' she beamed.

'How come you get to ask the questions?'

'Because I was the one who suggested this game. So question one: Why did you enroll into the same highschool as me when you said you hated it?'

Hitsugaya flinched on the inside. How was he going to tell her that it was because he wanted to be with her? When he didn't answer, Hinamori continued, 'It's something I couldn't figure out. Usually, when you make an opinion about something, especially a negative one, you won't change your mind. So what made you do it this time?'

'You.' He had said it with such seriousness that Hinamori felt her cheeks burn. 'You're such a klutz, you'll never be able to survive highschool without me.' That was true since part of the reason was to keep her safe.

'What! That's not true! I can take care of myself!' Hinamori said heatedly even though she knew it was as truthful as it could get. Hitsugaya smirked at her and said, 'Really?'

'N-Next question! What...was your first impression of me?' Taking a sip from her glass, she smiled and leaned back, eager to hear Hitsugaya's answer. She had always wanted to know that. Unfortunately, what she got was not what she expected.

'Annoying,' Hitsugaya replied without hesitation.

Hinamori bolted upright and almost shouted, 'Why?!'

Hitsugaya almost smiled at her reaction but managed to keep a straight face when he answered, 'You kept pestering me to do this or that with you. Everyday. Who wouldn't think that's annoying?'

'I was being friendly!'

'Badgering someone every single day and sometimes even forcing is not called friendly, Hinamori.'

'Fine. I expected something else though. Anyway, third question, do you secretly like the name 'Shiro-chan'?'

'No way,' he answered immediately. 'What kind of question is that? You know perfectly well. I hate that name.'

'Aww, not even in secret?'

'No.'

'Really?' Brown eyes stared into teal ones, as if trying to get the truth from his eyes. He stared back and swallowed. Finally, a sigh escaped his lips.

'So you so like it!' she exclaimed gleefully.

'I didn't say that. I-'

'I know, I know. Sometimes...right?' Hinamori smiled.

'Whatever. Next.'

'Okay. Hmm, what do you really think of Fujita-kun?'

_Oh, tough one._ He couldn't possibly say that he hated that guy to the core because he was trying to get Hinamori to be his girlfriend, which of course, the girl was totally oblivious to. 

Hinamori drank from her glass and wrinkled her nose a little before prompting Hitsugaya. 'So...?'

'Why do you want to know anyway?'

'Well, every time I talk about him, you'll scowl and change the subject. I have a feeling you don't like him somehow and I want to know why.'

'It's true that I don't like him.'

'And...' Hinamori urged.

'And what?'

'You didn't answer the question!'

'I did. I said I don't like him,' he replied coolly. Hinamori, knowing she wouldn't get a proper answer from him, just gave him an exasperated look and took a gulp from her glass. 'Okay, I got another one. What do you think about your fanclub in school?'

'I have a fanclub?'

At that, Hinamori burst into laughter. 'Yes! You do! You mean you don't know that?' When Hitsugaya shook his head, she continued, 'It's those bunch of girls who keep staring at you during lunch and when you have soccer practice.'

'Oh, you mean those weirdos who sneaked into the guys' locker room as stole my wristband?'

'Yup, those are the ones.'

Hitsugaya shrugged. 'I don't really care about them. They're just weird and I would definitely prefer it if I didn't have some dumb fanclub.'

'By the way, they stalk you too, they have your whole schedule.'

'How do you know?'

'Rangiku-san told me. She said she had an encounter with them and it wasn't very pretty.'

Hitsugaya only raised his eyebrows before Hinamori continued, 'Okay...I kind of wasted that question. Moving on, question six: How did you know I used to be a bed-wetter?' (She couldn't help but blush).

At that, Hitsugaya half-smiled. 'Hinamori, I've known you since we were five. Of course I'd know.'

'I know that. But how exactly did you find out?'

'Remember that time when I came over to your house to stay over?'

Hinamori nodded and motioned for him to continue. A pause. 'Well, it was that night when you wet the bed. I found out in the middle of the night.'

Brown eyes widened at the revelation. 'Oh...'

'Yeah, and it was confirmed when you tried to chase me out of the room.' Hinamori averted her gaze as her blush deepened. 'Right...now I know.' Hitsugaya couldn't help but let hid mouth curl up at the corners. 'Question seven?'

Taking a sip, Hinamori nodded and replied, 'Have you ever thought about getting married and having kids?' Hearing her question made Hitsugaya blush; not only did he think about those things, but also thought (well, actually dreamt) about _how_. And of course, Hinamori being in all these thoughts did not make his blush disappear.

'Hitsugaya-kun?' The said boy was snapped out of his thoughts when she waved a hand in front of his face.

'Y-Yeah?'

'So...what's your answer?' she asked as she eyed him curiously.

'Right. No, I never thought about it,' he replied flatly.

'Liar. Come on, you can tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone else.'

Hitsugaya sighed, knowing she'll keep pestering him until he speaks the truth. 'Fine, I have alright?' He fought hard to keep the blush away.

Hinamori couldn't help but giggle. She knew it. She contemplated on asking further, just to tease him, but could sense that he was feeling quite uncomfortable so she let it go.

'Okay okay. Eighth question: If Ichigo-kun needed your advice in confessing his feelings, would you help him?' the brown-eyed girl said light-heartedly.

Hitsugaya scoffed. 'No way.'

'Why not?'

'I don't want to concern myself with his love life,' Hitsugaya replied. _I already have confession problems of my own._

Hinamori pouted, 'Well, I would definitely help my friends if they needed help with confessing. Even you, Hitsugaya-kun.'

'What?' Oh the irony.

Hinamori nodded. 'I really will. You're my best friend, so if you need my help in anything like this, feel free to tell me!'

At this point, Hitsugaya wished she wasn't so oblivious to his feelings and at least take a hint already. 'Yeah...can we go on to the next question now?'

'Hmm...let's see...would you date any of the girls in your fanclub?'

Hitsugaya raised his eyebrows at her and said, 'You're very interested in my love life aren't you?'

Hinamori blushed and looked away. 'No...I just wonder why you never date any of the girls in school or anywhere for that matter.'

'There's nothing good about them,' Hitsugaya stated simply.

'But you have to admit, they are pretty.' Hinamori pressed on, eager to know why he doesn't date at all.

'So? You're pretty.' The white-haired teem spilled those words before he even realized what he just said. Chocolate eyes met hid in surprise and said shyly, 'Really?'

'Of course.'

Hinamori opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted when Hitsugaya hastily replied, 'They're not my type anyway.'

'Oh? Then what's your type?'

Hitsugaya smirked. 'Is that your next question?'

'N-No. Fine, let me think of the next one,' she replied and nervously drank from her glass. Hitsugaya was relieved he managed to get out of that one and thought he had made Hinamori blush.

'I got one. Who was your first crush?'

Hitsugaya groaned. 'Hinamori, will you stop asking such questions already?'

'Why? These are the kind of things you never tell me about so I'm using this opportunity to know!'

'I'm not going to tell you.'

Knowing his stubborn nature, Hinamori compromised. 'Well, at least tell me something about her.'

After pondering about it, Hitsugaya figured he could tell her something without letting her know it was her. 'I like her because she made me smile.'

'Do you...still like this girl?' Hinamori asked.

'That's not part of the question, Momo.' Hinamori felt her cheeks grow hot, it made her nervous whenever he did that. She suddenly thought of a good question and smiled to herself.

'Hitsugaya-kun, have you ever kissed anyone before?'

Caught off-guard by her question, Hitsugaya widened his eyes. 'No..'

'Really?' Hinamori asked skeptically. 'You look like someone who has though.' She inched closer and stared at him straight in the eyes. Hitsugaya could feel his heart thumping. He had, in fact, kissed someone before and it had been her. However, she was asleep at that time and that happened years ago. All of a sudden, Hinamori drew back and huffed.

'Never mind. Question ten-'

'It's question twelve now,' Hitsugaya corrected, looking at Hinamori with raised brows.

'Right. Twelve: Did you know the girl you helped out yesterday likes you?' 'What-? Oh, that weird girl.’

'Why do you call her weird?'

'The way she looked at me. It was as if she was...staring.'

"Hitsugaya-kun, all the girls look at you that way,' Hinamori answered in a way that suggested it was the most obvious thing on earth.

'You don't.' The remark came out so fast Hinamori was taken by surprise.

'Yeah...I don't. But that's different.' She could feel her cheeks  flaming a little and Hitsugaya noticed, but he couldn't tell for Hinamori's cheeks are naturally rosy. She took a gulp from the glass and hiccupped. Hitsugaya looked at her strangely, but before he could say anything, she cut him off.

'Shiro-chan...if I said I liked you, how would you react?'

Hitsugaya was stunned for two reasons. One: he didn't expect her to call him 'Shiro-chan' when she was calling him 'Hitsugaya-kun' all the while. Two: what kind of a question was that?!

'Why would you ask that?' he replied gingerly.

'It's part of the game!'

'Well...I...'

At the sound of Hinamori's giggles, the snowy-haired boy stopped.

'It's funny, the way you're taking this so seriously!' She continued poking fun at him, much to Hitsugaya's annoyance. But he must say, he felt relieved, and then again...a twinge of disappointment.

'Hinamori, you're wasting your questions like that.'

'Okay okay. I'll be serious now,' Hinamori answered, though Hitsugaya doubted the sincerity of that statement. 'Right...hmm...oh! Shiro-chan, how many girls have you liked?'

'...Hinamori, I'm not answering such questions anymore.'

'Oh come on!’

Hitsugaya was beginning to get a strange vibe from the girl before him. To test the theory he had, Hitsugaya answered mildly enough, '...A hundred.'

Hinamori's eyes widened as if genuinely surprised. 'That's a lot!! Wow, Shiro-chan, you never told me that before!'

He raised his eyebrows; did she honestly believe that? Slowly, he asked, 'Well Hinamori, so how many guys have taken an interest to?'

The girl looked at him dubiously and replied with a smile, 'Nope. I'm asking the questions here.' Hinamori downed the rest of the contents in her glass and proceeded with the questioning.

'Will you give me a piggy-back ride?'

Okay, something was definitely up. 'What?' Hitsugaya asked with incredulity.

'A piggy-back ride.' She smiled.

'Now? Here?'

'Uh huh.'

'Hinamori, are you alright?'

'I'm fine, I'm fine,' she answered, waving her wrist at him. He gave her a skeptical look and put his hand over her forehead. Nope, no fever.

'I'm fine, Toshirou.' A hiccup. 'Next question!'

At this point, Hitsugaya was sure there was something wrong with his childhood friend. She just asked him a really weird question, and promptly forgot about, not to mention calling him 'Toshirou'. It was seldom that she used his first name.

Hitsugaya's train of thought was cut short when Hinamori asked, 'Isyour hair for real?' She cocked her head to one side and reached out to touch his hair, messing it up.

Hitsugaya reached up, took her hand and replied, 'Yes Hinamori, it's natural. You know that. What the hell happened to you? You're acting weird.'

'No I'm not. I always secretly believed you dyed your hair like that. You did, didn't you?'

The boy sighed. He didn't exactly know what to do, he never encountered Hinamori like this before. And once again, before he could enquire further, she interrupted him with another question. This time, it was preposterous. 'Are you gay?'

Hitsugaya gave her a long hard look and she stared back at him with the same intensity. ‘Well...?' she prompted.

'What would make you ask something like that?'

'I don't know. It just popped up in my head.' With that, she took a gulp from her glass but found out it was empty. 'No more water,' she declared.

Water...? A light bulb went on in Hitsugaya's head. He took her glass and sniffed. That was definitely not water, and Hitsugaya could guess exactly what she had been drinking. He sighed heavily and said, 'Hinamori, do you know-'

He didn't manage to finish his sentence for the drunk girl pulled him down and whispered, 'Toshirou, have you ever...'

Hitsugaya's eyes widened in disbelief and blushed furiously at her question. How did she know such things? The white-haired boy was relieved he didn't have to answer that question as she blurted, 'Toshirou, your face is really red!'

'W-What?' Apparently, he had not recovered from his initial shock.

'Have you been drinking?'

'No!' Hitsugaya was at his limit; the questions, her cluelessness, her drunken self, it was almost driving him mad. 'Idiot, you're the one who's been drinking.'

'Toshirou, I don't drink! I never do!' she answered defensively.

'You were.'

'No! I wasn't! Don't try to change the subject, I have another...twelve more questions.'

'Hinamori, enough with the questions. Go to sleep, or you'll have a hangover tomorrow. Besides, you're not really asking proper questions.'

'But-' she protested.

'Come on.' Hitsugaya was getting ready to stand but when he turned to face Hinamori, she looked at him with earnest (yet a little dilated) eyes that made him sit back down with a look of concern on his face. Was she feeling unwell?

When she spoke, her voice had dropped to a whisper, 'One more question?'

Hitsugaya brushed her bangs away from her face and said, 'You're drunk.'

A pregnant pause. 'Toshirou...do you...like me?'

Turquoise eyes stared back into her coffee brown ones. Hitsugaya contemplated on answering her question, and decided that it wouldn't hurt to tell her. The others were too drunk to register anything in their minds; heck, even she might not remember. When he finally made up his mind, Hitsugaya whispered back.

'A lot.'

Hinamori smiled, answering softly, 'Me too.'

And suddenly, the space between them closed and their faces were mere centimeters apart. Their lips met and Hitsugaya could almost taste the sake on Hinamori's lips. The kiss deepened and a low sound escaped from Hinamori's throat. Hitsugaya reached up and cupped her face,feeling the heat radiating from it. When they finally parted, their breaths came out in short pants.

For some reason, Hitsugaya couldn't help but feel he was taking advantage of her. After all, she was not sober. 'Hina-'

She fell towards Hitsugaya's chest, evidently asleep already. The look of confusion on his face turned into amusement. That was definitely eventful and Hitsugaya couldn't help but smile at her sleeping form.

* * *

Pained groans could be heard throughout the living room. It seemed like everyone had woken, but not without hangovers. Hitsugaya and Hinamori were in the kitchen, resuming their clean-up from last night while making light breakfast for their wasted friends.

A shout came from the living room. 'Oi! What's for breakfast!'

Hitsugaya was in too good of a mood to go out and kick whoever had the nerve to say that in the face. He went up to Hinamori and slid his arms around her waist from the back. She blushed and whispered shyly, 'Hitsugaya-kun...' It seemed she had returned to her normal self and also, remembered everything that happened last night, though it was a bit fuzzy.

Hinamori turned around to face him. 'Do you think they heard what we said last night?'

'I don't think so. They should have been too drunk to hear anything. And even if they did, they probably wouldn't remember.'

'Oh...' Hinamori was still embarrassed at the questions she asked and what they did.

'You know, you still have one last question, he told her.

'Really? You were keeping count?'

'Yeah.'

She laughed a little. So he did take it quite seriously. She thought for a while and finally asked softly, 'Can I kiss you?'

Hitsugaya smirked. 'Idiot, you don't have to ask me that.' Their lips met for another kiss but broke away quickly this time as they heard someone approaching.

'By the way, Hinamori?'

'Yeah?'

'You're a bad drinker.'

-Owari-


	8. Eventual

** Chapter 8 **

** Eventual **

** Words: 947 **

"When?"

"Since then."

His answer was vague, but she knew exactly what he meant. Since the day they became friends. Since the day he promised he would protect her. Since the day he would give up anything and everything to make her happy, to make those scars go away. Maybe even since the day they met, the very moment he knew it could be something more, that they could be something more.

He had known she would ask this. Asked him when he started loving her, when he started to see her like a man would to a woman, not just a sister. He had known. And he had prepared himself for it. But he could have never prepared himself for the question that escaped her lips now.

"Why?"

Her voice was a whisper, barely audible. But he heard her loud and clear and no answer he could give.

Why? He did not know why, will never know why he came to love her. Because of the simple reason that she was her? That she was this girl he was willing to give his life for? He did not know why he fell in love with her, but he knew one thing surely. It was real.

She knew he could give no answer. But she knew it was real too. That he was real. She did believe, but she didn't want to.

"After what I've done?"

"Yes." He took a tentative step towards her, determined to reach her heart, to open it again. To open it for him.

"I don't understand...how you can- how anyone can..." It became quite impossible for her to complete her sentences. Tears were threatening to spill, but she held them back.

"Of course I can. I always have." He said it as if it were the simplest thing.

She could no longer hold them back. The tears she kept in rolled down her cheeks. How could he ever love her? Even she couldn't love herself. Not after what she had done. The guilt waseating at her, haunting her dreams, never giving her a chance to forget. She was lost in her own despair, her own guilt, but he was there. He was there to guide her through and to love her. She never noticed it, until now.

He finally closed the distance between them, and was glad she didn't flinch, or distant herself like she always did. There was silence, but both of them knew what was not said.

They wanted this.

He wanted this, and so much more. She wanted this, but was afraid.

Tonight, he was expectant. That finally, after so many painful nights of seeing her weak and frail, her once bright eyes now downcast, there would be progress. That the feelings he kept deep within him could be released. And maybe, just maybe, she could release them too.

He lifted a hand and placed it on her chest. Her cheeks were tear-stained and she was trembling, but she didn't move away. His hand slid lower, burning a trail down her chest, till he reached the scar that tainted her skin, just above the valley of her breasts. He caressed it lightly, reminding her that even if it was her naivety that caused them so much pain, he still loved her. It reminded him that despite the pain he went through of loving her, he still wanted a future with her. Believed that he could make a future with her, free of pain and guilt, if only she would open up to him and let him in once again.

His hand lingered on her skin. He leaned in, making sure his next words would sink in and finally make her understand.

"I love you."

He lifted her chin to make her face him, but her eyes were shut.

"Look at me," he whispered. He wanted her to see his eyes and know he wasn't the man that would forsake her, know that he was sincere, that he truly loved her. He wanted her to know that she could trust him, love him, once again. She had saved him once, now it was his turn.

She opened her eyes and met his. For the first time, she noticed he had grown from that childish boy whom liked to tease her to a man who would lay down his life to protect her. And she realized, she loved him too.

When? From the time she knew she could lose him forever? She didn't know, but she knew she had loved him; she just buried it deep in her heart, afraid of what might happen if she acted upon her feelings. The feelings that lay dormant in her heart, the ones she suppressed, came pulsing through her now.

He had given her enough time to process his words, to understand him. Leaning down, he brought his face closer to hers and pressed his lips onto her moist, pink ones. It was gentle, yet full of passion. It was hesitant, yet insistent. She let him, because she had finally learnt   
to uncover her love for him, finally brave enough to act upon her feelings. She let him, just because she felt the same way he did.

He tasted cold, like ice, but somehow she felt warm. She tasted sweet, and he could taste the saltiness of her tears. Their lips moved in tandem against each others and when they parted, their tastes still lingered in their mouths.

He put his forehead against hers and pulled her close, wrapping her in a tight embrace. She reciprocated, leaning into him.

They stood like this, just for a moment, and everything was finally crystal clear.

-Owari- **  
**


	9. Operation Cover-Up

The fifth division vice-captain walked briskly down the corridor. It's in the last days of summer, but she was already wearing a scarf around her neck. By the flustered look on her face, and somewhat suspicious behaviour, it was obvious she was hiding something. You see, Hinamori Momo had a hickey, and she was determined not to let anyone know about it.

As she made her way to the third division, Hinamori could sense the stares other Shinigamis gave her. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and wondered if that was due to the scarf wrapped tightly around her neck or the incident that _led her to wrap that scarf tightly around her neck._

* * *

"Mmm...Hitsugaya-kun...!" Hinamori yelped as she felt his tongue rove over the sensitive spot just below her ear.

They were in Hitsugaya's private quarters in the tenth division. Hair disheveled, hands roaming and feet stumbling, they had made their way towards his futon and now lay there, finishing what they had started. Hitsugaya's hand traveled down her body, opening her robes just a little, before resting it on her hip. He left a trail of feather-light kisses to her collarbone, sucking gently there. Oh, how well he knew where her sensitive spots were.

"'Shirou.."

Her voice came out in ragged breaths, in a way that Hitsugaya has never heard his name escape her lips like that before. He made a mental note to do that again sometime soon. Licking that particular area earned him a squeak from the girl that lay under him. She placedher hands on his well-toned chest and pushed him up. Nope, she wasn't going to let him do sweet, torturous things to her body. At least not today.

"Hitsugaya-kun, it's not such a good idea today. You have a captains' meeting tomorrow, and I need to deliver paperwork first thing in the morning. I'm already behind-!"

He silenced her with a kiss and she gasped at the suddenness of it. He took the opportunity to slide his tongue in, meeting hers in sensual contact. When they parted and she was left with panting breaths, he spoke.

"And I thought I was the workaholic."

They were sitting up now and he used their position to draw her closer, sitting her on his lap with her legs on either side of him, so that she was straddling him. He played with hair as they faced each other, twirling a lock around his finger, leaving them curled at the ends.

"I'm being rational," Hinamori explained, but the tenth division captain was not listening. He had dove in to capture her neck, nibbling on the skin gently and licking it.

"Toushirou..."

Her voice had become husky and she was blushing red in a matter of seconds. Hitsugaya is reminded of how he can make her do that during their intimate moments. Feeling a sense of satisfaction, he smirked and bit down hard on her skin. She definitely felt that; it was painfully erotic. He continued to suck on the spot, leaving a red bruise that would be plainly obvious in the morning. But for now, this fact escaped their minds which were clouded by the heat of the moment.

* * *

"Kira-kun, here are the reports, sorry I'm late..." the fifth division vice-captain said, with a sheepish look on her face.

But the blonde-haired man did not really care about the 10-minutes late report. He was more concerned about something else.

"Umm, Hinamori-kun, why are you wearing a scarf?"

Uh oh, this was what she had feared. "W-Well, it's early autumn now, isn't the weather cold?"

"...Not at all."

"Ah! Really? I feel really cold though!" She is such a bad liar.

"Okay..." Kira's curiosity had turned into suspicion.

Before he had a chance to question further, Hinamori hastily said, "I've got to deliver these reports, so uhh...see you!"

She might have escaped having to lie any further (and embarrassment) but the fifth division lieutenant had no such luck with none other than Matsumoto, who could tell when anyone is lying, especially Hinamori.

"So, here are the reports that you have to handle, and here are the ones that need Hitsugaya-kun's approval," she said, handing the tenth division lieutenant two piles of paper. She had arrived at the tenth division headquarters and was glad Hitsugaya wasn't there. That would just be awkward.

Matsumoto took the reports from Hinamori and eyed her suspiciously. "Okay...I'll get that done." Matsumoto was (and is) never the kind that will say she'll get her work done, but Hinamori was too busy worrying if Matsumoto will question her fashion sense at this time of the year.

Unfortunately for her, she did.

"Hinamori, what's with the scarf? You do know it's only early autumn right? And it's kinda warm this year."

_Dammit._ "Oh! Uhh, really? But...don't you think the weather is cold?"

"...Not at all."

"W-Well, that's weird, I'm feeling really cold!"

Matsumoto, knowing that there's more to it than meets the eye, and Hinamori, being the bad liar she is, knew she was lying through her teeth. But she decided to play along to find out what exactly her friend is hiding from her.

"Wait, now that you say it, it is getting kind of cold," Matsumoto said.

"Yes, that's right." Hinamori did not have a good feeling about this.

"Do you mind if I borrow your scarf? You're going back to your division soon anyway right? I still need to deliver these, so could you-?"

"No!" Hinamori shouted, clutching her scarf tightly. Her eyes widened as she realized herbehaviour is a dead giveaway.

"I mean...I'm not going back to my division yet. You see, I still have some work to do..." While Hinamori searched for a good excuse, Matsumoto was getting tired of beating around the bush.

"Oh just tell me what you're hiding!" And with that, she pulled the scarf away from Hinamori's neck, revealing what she had tried to hide.

Matsumoto's gaze settled on Hinamori's neck and saw, immediately, the reason her friend had to wear a scarf (it was rather obvious). Underneath that scarf was a hickey, a big, red love bite. And who could have given that to her other than Hitsugaya Toushirou?

"Ahh!" The brown-eyed lieutenant tried to wrap the scarf around her neck once again, thoroughly embarrassed now. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and soon, she was blushing furiously.

"Oh ho ho! So this is what you're hiding! A love bite from Taichou!" There was a huge grin plastered to her face as she teased Hinamori mercilessly.

"I-Uhh..." No answer escaped her lips and she could no longer give any kind of excuse. Well, at least it was Matsumoto and not one of her male friends.

"Aww, you're blushing! Reliving the moments huh?"

"No! Of course not! Rangiku-san, please stop teasing me.."

Seeing the flustered look in her face, Matsumoto decided to give her a break. "Okay, okay. So, does he know?"

"I don't think so. I left kind of early this morning." She suddenly wished this conversation would stop right now. She really didn't want to reveal anymore.

"Maybe you should tell him, show him even. He made you wear this scarf, I bet lots of people were staring at you." Matsumoto gave great advice sometimes, but this was a little weird. After all, they were on the topic of Hitsugaya's and Hinamori's sex life. "Besides, isn't it stuffy?"

"Well, yes, a little." Deciding it was time she left, Hinamori said, "I have to go, Rangiku-san, I'll see you."

"Sure," the busty lieutenant replied, wondering why Hinamori had to be so awkward. It's just a hickey.

Before she left, Hinamori turned around and told Matsumoto, "And Rangiku-san, please don't tell anyone about this!"

When the dark-haired lieutenant made her way back to her quarters, she still received weird looks from other Shinigamis. It was starting to annoy her, it's not her fault she had a hickey on her neck! That's right! It's not her fault, it's Hitsugaya's! The staring won't stop, and she almost turned around to shout at them. Oh, Hitsugaya was going to get it from her.

* * *

"Hitsugaya Toushirou!"

A familiar voice echoed throughout the room. It was Hinamori, and she was furious. She had opened the sliding door forcefully and shut it with a bang. She made her way towards Hitsugaya, who was seated at his desk, printing his signature on the paperwork. He hadn't even glanced up despite feeling Hinamori's reiatsu flare. It was only when she slammed her hands onto his table did he look up.

"What is it? And why are you-?" He was about to ask her about the scarf, stating that it was only early autumn but Hinamori cut him off before he could finish asking.

She pulled the scarf away, showing him his mark on her neck. Hitsugaya went wide-eyed before a satisfied smirk rested upon his features. Smirk? How dare he smirk?!

"Hitsugaya Toushirou, this is what you did to me!" she told him heatedly, pointing a finger at the red mark.

"And...?" he asked with raised brows. He didn't see anything wrong with that, he actually liked it. It indicated that he had marked Hinamori as his, and it made him feel good.

"And! I had to wear this to cover it up! Do you know what kind of stares I got? Everyone thought I was crazy! Not to mention it was extremely stuffy! It's early autumn for goodness sake!"

She exhaled loudly after finishing her heated explanation. Hitsugaya continued staring at her, prompting her to continue, if she had anymore to say.

She pointed an accusing finger at him and huffed, "And it's all your fault!"

"Finished?" he replied coolly. She nodded. "Hinamori, I don't know why you're so worked up. It's just a love bite." Hitsugaya got up from his chair and moved towards her, playing with her scarf.

"It's not _just_ a love bite! It's a mark of my embarrassment! Rangiku- san found out!"

He suppressed an urge to laugh. "It's only Matsumoto." By this time, he began unwrapping the scarf around her neck.

"Rangiku-san will tell everybody! Even though I told her not to and she said 'sure', but you know you can't trust her on such things! What are you doing?"

He had already dropped her scarf on the floor and was caressing the still-red bruise on her neck.

"Can we forget about this? Besides, it'll be gone soon." He moved in to kiss the love bite gently, snaking his arms around her petite waist.

"Thats not the point...Toushirou..." She could feel his breath on her neck and it made her lose track of what they were talking about. Yes, the tenth division captain had that power over her. She closed her eyes as heat began rising up her neck and tainted her cheeks red. Hitsugaya did not have to look up to know she was blushing. He continued to kiss his way to her ear and licked at the sensitive spot below it. It incited a moan from her as she lifted her hands to entangle them in his white hair, pushing him closer to her. Hitsugaya cupped her face and started nibbling at the spot.

All of a sudden, Hinamori's eyes snapped open. He's doing it again! He's going to leave another mark on her and she would have to wear the scarf for another few more days. As much as Hinamori loves how Hitsugaya could make her feel so aroused, so blissful, she didn't like it now. Determined not to let Hitsugaya have his way (and be embarrassed once again), she pushed him away.

Hitsugaya was taken by surprise and looks at her quizzically. "What is it?"

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

She clicked her tongue irritably. "This!" she said, waving her arm in a circle, which was quite vague as it encompassed the whole of Hitsugaya. When he still looked at her with raised brows, she said again, "You're marking me again!" She couldn't say it without blushing and Hitsugaya couldn't help but smirk again. He liked it when she talked like that.

"So...?"

He went in for another kiss but Hinamori slapped her hand onto his mouth, stopping him and causing him to widen his eyes.

"Ohh..Hitsugaya Toushirou, you are not getting your way this time!" Hinamori said and turned on her heel to leave. She stomped out and almost shouted to him, "I'll get back at you!" And with that, she left.

Hitsugaya was still quite shocked and despite Hinamori's words, he wasn't fazed at all. After all, Hinamori couldn't be fierce to save her life. He wondered what she would do as pay back. But honestly, it was just a hickey.

"Surprise me."

* * *

That night, Hinamori was in Hitsugaya's private quarters again. And this time, the tables were turned. She lay on top of him, her legs straddling his body. She bent down and kissed his lips lovingly and insistently. Hitsugaya kissed back, reveling in the feel of her body pressed against his. Hinamori slipped her tongue in, mixing her saliva with his. Given her position, it was easy to gain dominance of his tongue. Before Hitsugaya could flip them over so he was on top, Hinamori kissed his neck. She licked along the column of his neck, and felt it vibrate as he let out a groan. Reaching just below his jaw line, she bit down. His eyes snapped open and his hands came up to grip her waist.

"Hi-Hina.."

His voice came out raspy and he could no longer say anymore as she was nibbling on his skin, sucking it gently. Hinamori was determined to leave exactly what Hitsugaya left her, if not more.

* * *

For the next day, he did not attend the captains' meeting or even leave his private quarters; the idea of wearing a scarf to hide it was extremely obvious that he had a love bite on his neck (seeing how Hinamori had one and wore a scarf to hide it and that they were lovers, people could put two and two together). As a result, he was confined to his private quarters, something he wasn't really fond of.

Signing his papers with a vengeance, he felt the familiar reiatsu of Hinamori. Good, just the person he wanted to talk to. When the fifth division lieutenant entered, he watched her saunter in with a big smile on her face, and that did not make him feel any better.

"Having fun, Hinamori?" he asked sarcastically.

Hinamori couldn't help but giggle. "Why the long face, Hitsugaya-kun? I've brought your paperwork for you, I know you don't want anyone seeing you like this, so I personally brought them over. I also managed to chase Rangiku-san away, she was suspicious about you not arriving at the office. Now, you wouldn't want her to see you like that right?"

"And how does that make anything better?"

"Hitsugaya-kun, it's an eye for an eye. You did it to me first; so now you know how I felt right? Besides, you enjoyed it."

The white-haired captain opened his mouth to make a retort, but he couldn't deny it. He did enjoy that.

"Hinamori..." God, this girl could drive him crazy sometimes.

"You know, you could wear a scarf, just like me." How Hinamori managed to make it sound innocent was beyond Hitsugaya. He simply glared at her; she was doing this on purpose.

Hinamori traced a finger around her mark on his neck and kissed it gently, _exactly_ how Hitsugaya did to her. Hitsugaya wasn't going to be unresponsive, after all, if he was going to stay in his private quarters for days, he might as well make full use of it. He brought Hinamori's head up to kiss her. She responded, but before they took anything further, she pulled back.

"Well, I have to go, call me if you need anything!" Hinamori said cheerily, giving Hitsugaya one last peck on the lips. "See you soon." As she left, the smile stayed. As much as he liked what happened, he definitely did not like to be chained to his desk doing paperwork. No matter, he'll get back at her. He's going to make her scream tonight.

-Owari- **  
**


	10. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this a long time ago.

Hitsugaya Toushirou has a secret. A secret nobody knows except himself (and Hyourinmaru), and will never tell anyone. Not even his best friend. Definitely not his best friend.

Hinamori Momo has a secret. A secret nobody knows except herself (and Tobi Ume), and will never tell anyone. Not even her best friend. Definitely not her best friend.

The funny thing is, everybody knows their secret without them saying a word about it. Everybody knows they are in love with their best friend.

It was freaking obvious.

Hint #1:He always, _always_ , wanted to protect her. Like the time when Ichimaru was almost about to kill her. Hitsugaya said he'll kill him if he made Hinamori spill a single drop of blood. A _single_ drop of blood! Ichimaru had better watch his back. Let's say Hinamori cut herself and bled, I bet Hitsugaya would hunt Ichimaru down. Apparently, he did (indirectly) make her spill blood. And Hitsugaya set Hyourinmaru after him. Kira was there, he was scared half to death. That was how far Hitsugaya would go to protect Hinamori.

And not to mention the reason he wanted to know his Zanpakutou's name was because of Hinamori. It's not known to many Shinigamis in the Gotei 13, but Hitsugaya wanted Hyourinmaru to lend him his strength so that he could protect her.

And even on missions too! Small missions! He'd request to go along with the fifth division every time the Captain Commander sent Hinamori on a mission. Even if it was just to eradicate some Hollows. From what the tenth division members say, Hitsugaya would always stand in front of Hinamori and defend her (preventing her from attacking too). Hinamori usually got rather annoyed that he always 'gets in her way', so Hitsugaya gradually let her go on missions alone. But any idiot can tell she secretly liked it, it's so obvious from the look in her eyes.

See? Hitsugaya protects her every time, everywhere. Surely, that piques interest in their relationship.

Hint #2:Hitsugaya will take revenge on anyone who hurts Hinamori. Again, the Ichimaru incident. Then there's the matter with Aizen. Hinamori once asked Hitsugaya to save Aizen and boy, was he angry after that, clenching his fist and spitting out Aizen's name like venom. With theincident when Aizen came to the fake Karakura Town, it became more obvious. Hitsugaya was the one who hated Aizen the most out of everyone in the Gotei 13 and he wanted to do violence to him, even if it meant losing his captaincy. He's willing to give up that much for Hinamori, surely that spells something.

Hint #3:Apparently, Hitsugaya gives Hinamori 'allergic reactions'. Matsumoto said Hinamori told her she kept heating up when Hitsugaya was there, or near her. And she would fidget nervously too. Not leaving out she sometimes felt butterflies in her stomach.

There was one time, they were sitting on the tenth division's porch, being kind of...intimate. Hitsugaya had one hand in her hair, ready to remove the cloth that held it in place. His other hand was placed on top of hers, their fingers almost intertwined. Hinamori looked into his deep eyes, blushing furiously and suddenly, for a moment, it seemed something clicked in their minds. They leaned in, ready to finish what they had started but both of them jerked back before their lips could meet. It was probably Matsumoto who ruined the moment, after all, she was spying on them with Ikkaku, Yumichika, Renji, Hisagi and even Rukia.

Obviously Hinamori was in love with Hitsugaya.

Hint #4:Hitsugaya is jealous. He's jealous of her subordinates, who spend time with her for long periods everyday, jealous of her students in the Kido class at the Academy whom she cares a lot for, and jealous of Kira.  
Obviously, Hitsugaya is in love with Hinamori. And really, there's no need for him to be jealous at all.

Hint #5:They keep having eye sex with each other! So much so that it's annoying all the captains and vice-captains and they wished those two would _get it on already_.

The two of them were constantly staring at one another during joint captains and vice captains meetings. They would look at each other when one isn't looking and when they made eye contact, one would blush and turn away. Hinamori sometimes smiled innocently at Hitsugaya, totally unaware that the latter was watching her. It's so cheesy that some captains wanted to gag.

Seriously, it's so obvious! It did not escape the Captain Commander's knowledge and as duty calls, he continued with the meeting, ignoring the captain and vice-captain. Soi Fong, being in the Special Ops and all that, knew, of course. And her only reaction was to roll her eyes and look away. Kira knew too, due to Matsumoto mostly, and he always became nervous. It's not like it's any of his business...or is it? And if Kira knew, Renji, Hisagi, Ikkaku and Yumichika knew too. The fourth division's captain and vice-captain were aware too, after all, Hinamori did go to Unohana for help on her 'allergic reactions'. Even Kuchiki Byakuya knew, the sixth division's captain who hardly cared about anyone's love lives. Komamura, who knew almost nothing when it came to human love, could see that there was definitely something up between the two. Kyoraku and Ukitake merely smiled at the two, thinking how fortunate it is for them to be able to experience young love. The former even fished for information about the childhood friends, delighting in the knowledge of their secret. What's surprising is that Zaraki and Kurotsuchi were aware, after all, they were not the kinds who would bother themselves over matters that they have no interest in.

So you see, with most of the captains and vice-captains being aware of Hitsugaya's and Hinamori's secret, it is right to think they will pass it on and soon, almost the whole of Seireitei knew about it. Also, the captains and vice-captains can't be wrong about those two, they are the most sharp after all.

The hints tell a lot, don't you think?

That's not all, Hitsugaya and Hinamori try to hide their secret. They deny claims, avoid each other and hide those feelings. They never succeed though. But the both of them secretly try to protect the other, are secretly extremely concerned about other, and are secretly in love with each other.

Hitsugaya Toushirou and Hinamori Momo have a secret. The same secret. They are in love with their best friend. But they will never admit it, nor will they tell their best friend that he/she loves him/her. It has been going on for _ages._ And that is exactly why it drives everybody crazy.

-Owari- **  
**


	11. Battle Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter focuses on the scars Hinamori has, but mostly on the one on her chest. I suppose she has two, from the time Aizen stabbed her and from Hitsugaya (in chapter 392).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeline: Post-chapter 418.
> 
> Warnings: Spoiler-heavy and strong implications. No lemon though.

Twice he touched the scar that marked her chest.

The first time was during her recuperation, after Aizen's defeat. He had opened her robes a little, revealing the scar from when Aizen stabbed her in the Central 46. It was a long time ago, but the scar was obvious and the memory was fresh. Hitsugaya had seen Hinamori lying in a pool of her own blood, her eyes staring into nothingness, her body sucked dry of whatever hope and relief she previously had. It was then fear gripped Hitsugaya like an iron grasp as he realized he could lose Hinamori.

It was the worst kind of fear.

The fourth division and twelfth division members had done their best to keep her alive, through healing Kido and organ regeneration and even though they had helped her overcome the worst, there was still a possibility that he might lose her. And a world without Hinamori was unbearable. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to believe it. Because she was the one who empowered him to learn his Soul Slayer's name, she was the one whom he would sell his soul to protect, she was the one he lived for. And a world without her would mean nothing. _He_ would mean nothing. 

As he touched the scar on her chest, he shuddered. It was cold, her body was cold. It shouldn't be there, an innocent girl like her shouldn't have a scar on her chest, destroying her otherwise flawless skin. He traced his thumb over it lightly, feeling it stand out from her skin. And as he touched it, he knew there was a similar one at the exact spot on her back. And all of a sudden, guilt washed over him once again. For he knew that scar was not Aizen's doing. It was his.

He had stabbed his childhood friend right through her chest and spilt her blood, the one whom he vowed to protect, whom he would take revenge for on whoever spilt a single drop of her blood. And now, when it was he who spilt her blood and it was her blood that tainted his clothes, what was he to do?

Hitsugaya was letting his guilt eat at him. Her scars were old, though the one he inflicted was much newer. But the memories were still fresh in his mind. He could remember arriving at the Central 46 too late, and Hinamori was already down. He could remember he let his rage control him and charged at Aizen, having released his Bankai. And he will always remember how he fell at his hands, unable to kill the man who hurt the one he held so dear.

But he will never forget how the girl that lay before him had the scar on her back. They were all under Aizen's hypnosis and he had stabbed Hinamori, thinking it was the enemy. She was limp against his chest, blood trickling out of hers as he carried her down. She had a look of confusion in her eyes, asking him ever so softly why. And then he snapped.

He had seen his blade pierce through the girl he loved. The sword which he wanted to learn the name of just so he could protect her. But it hurt her instead. _He_ hurt her. All he felt was guilt then, even as he watched over her and the war had finally ended.

That guilt quickly turned into anger.

As he stood beside her bed in the fourth division, he clenched his fists tightly, until he could feel his nails digging into his palms. Hitsugaya was angry about Aizen betraying Soul Society, deceiving everyone, manipulating Hinamori and toying with her feelings. But most of all, he was angry with himself, for not being able to protect her, for letting Aizen taint her skin with this scar.

Aizen was right. Hitsugaya was the one who hated him the most, he had much more resentment in his sword than anybody else. He hated Aizen and the way he played them all like chess pieces, and he hated how Aizen destroyed what was his.

This scar. The one that proved her naivety, that signified her weakness. No, it was much more than that. It reminded Hitsugaya that he hadn't fulfilled his promise. And it cut through him, making him feel like his heart was bleeding. He swore he would kill anyone who made Hinamori spill a single drop if blood. And now, he was the one who spilt her blood with his own blade.

Hitsugaya swore to himself that he would apologize to her when she wakes up, although he knew it would not do much to ease his guilt. He would forever be haunted by the scars and be reminded of his failures, even now, as he is lightly touching it. But as it turned out, Hinamori had a way of diminishing his guilt and taking away his pain.

On the day she woke up, and Hitsugaya apologized, she merely smiled and told him that those scars were not a symbol of his failure or guilt. They signified the pain they went through, the setbacks they suffered but most of all, they signified their strength. Hitsugaya was wrong. He had not failed, the fact the both of them were here meant he did keep his promise. He did protect her; she did get hurt and suffered, but she was a Shinigami and that was to be expected. He did keep his promise, in his own way. And they were here and _alive_ , wasn't that enough? Hinamori had put her hand to her chest, covering her scar, and said these scars were battle scars. They told a story, a story where she faced difficulties but conquered them. A story that reminded her she was not alone.

She assured Hitsugaya she did not blame him. She had once pointed her sword at him but he had forgiven her, so now she would do the same. And simply with her words and smile, Hitsugaya had a whole new perspective. He still felt guilty whenever he saw her scars, but most of all, he was relieved.

The first time Hitsugaya touched her scar, he felt guilt.

* * *

The second time was when they were making love.

They had arrived in Hinamori's private quarters in the fifth division, hands entangled in each other’s hair as they stumbled through the door. It has been 2 years since the war ended, 1 year since Hitsugaya told Hinamori he loved her and she reciprocated, 9 months since their relationship became much serious, 3 weeks since Hitsugaya proposed and 5 days since they started living together.

Hitsugaya had pushed Hinamori up against the wall and was kissing her with an aggression that surprised them both, but she wasn't complaining. He cupped both sides of her face in his hands and tilted her head upwards to give him better access to her lips. She did not resist, and simply buried her hands into his white locks.

Hitsugaya smoothly navigated them to her futon, preventing Hinamori from tripping since she was walking backwards. They kept their hands busy by pushing apart robes and untying obis. Hitsugaya was shirtless by the time he lay Hinamori on the futon and hovered above her. He started to work on her shihakuso, removing an article of clothing one by one. She let him undress her, her own hands discarding his hakama too. When the last piece of clothing left her slender body, there was nothing between them but skin and heat. And Hitsugaya had finally seen. 

Hinamori's body was not perfect, it bore the scars of her hurt and betrayal. There was the scar that Aizen left on that fateful day and one at the side of her waist where she was attacked by Allon. There was another one on her shoulder, a scar that was inflicted recently when she went to take care of several high-level Hollows. Hinamori's body had its fair number of scars but she was the most beautiful person to Hitsugaya.

He caressed the scar on her waist gently, before moving his fingers across her body to touch the scar on her shoulder. Her breath hitched as his fingers travelled up her stomach and between her breasts to rest on her shoulder. Hitsugaya brought his lips down to press them lightly onto her scar. He swept his lips across her collar bone to her chest, until they met with protruding skin. He kissed her scar lovingly, and brought out his tongue to lick the length of it. It made her moan out his name. She did not know anyone could do such a thing with so much love. As he kissed her scar lightly, Hinamori let her hands roam over his body, up his back and over his shoulders until she met with his own scars.

Hitsugaya did not realize that she was tracing her fingers on his scar with her soft fingers until they reached a sensitive soft and his breath hitched. He looked up and met her eyes, a look of determination? Hinamori was determined. She was determined to show him she could love him the way he did, to kiss his scars with as much love as he did, to tell him that despite their individual flaws, they were perfect together.

"Let me on top," she whispered.

Hitsugaya complied, flipping them over so she was straddling him. She looked into his teal eyes and saw confusion amidst anticipation in them. Using a delicate finger, she traced the length of his scar lightly, causing him to shift beneath her. She rested herself on his lower torso and dipped her head to meet his long scar with her lips. Hinamori kissed her way up, reveling in the feel of his calloused skin and how he had protected her. Hitsugaya had let his hand travel up her thigh as she licked, leaving a trail of her saliva on his body. She rocked her hips against his and he groaned, both of them feeling the heat between. Hitsugaya turned them over so Hinamori was on her back. He kissed her and she brought out her tongue to lick his lips as he did so. He pulled away for the briefest of moments to watch his lover with surprise and lust, before kissing her once more. He parted her lips easily and slipped his tongue in, exploring her mouth. A sound escaped from the back of her throat as their tongues met and fought for dominance. He overpowered her and when they parted, their mouths were connected by a chain of saliva. With soft eyes and gentle crooning, they finished what they had started as their names were echoed throughout the room.

They held each other in the aftermath of their love-making, both sweaty and exhausted. Hitsugaya watched the steady breathing of Hinamori, realizing that she was his and he hers. And as long as she is, he will not let another scar taint her skin.

It has been 2 years since the war ended, 1 year since Hitsugaya told Hinamori he loved her and she reciprocated, 9 months since their relationship became much serious, 3 weeks since Hitsugaya proposed, 5 days since they started living together and 1 hour since they made love.

The second time Hitsugaya touched her scar, he felt love.

-Owari-


	12. In Plain Sight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter portrays Hyourinmaru's view of Hinamori in different stages. I've always wanted to write about how someone so important in Hitsugaya's life views the one person he strives to protect, so here we go.

Hyourinmaru thought she was plain and simply boring. And as he watched her swinging her sword in hesitant movements, he had no idea why his master wanted to protect her. She was weak and too dependable on others, her swordsmanship wasn't excellent and although Hyourinmaru could care less, he thought she wasn't that good-looking too. Sure, she was gifted in Kido and was a good strategist, but he couldn't understand why his master would spend most of his time worrying about this girl. Honestly, is she that great?

She wasn't great, just important. The most important person in his master's life. And he couldn't see how it came to be that way.

She was fumbling now and Hitsugaya had to catch her before she fell, holding her up with protective arms.

"Hinamori, you need to be firmer with your sword. Swing it like you mean it," the white-haired captain advised.  
   
She nodded her head. She had recently been discharged from the fourth division and declared by Captain Unohana that she was fit to resume training. Hitsugaya had offered, more like requested, to assist her in her training. He claimed he knew her styles well and could be more of a help than the others, but in reality, he just didn't want any other captain to oversee her training.

So here they were, helping Hinamori gain some strength and confidence back. Hitsugaya was supervising her swordsmanship today and Hyourinmaru was carefully strapped to his back. They had gone on for about an hour now and Hyourinmaru saw no improvement in the girl. Her actions were clumsy and she was exhausted, it was beginning to annoy Hyourinmaru and made him think that she was one who held a sword for the first time. If Hyourinmaru didn't know better, he would have thought Hinamori was a new recruit.

Hyourinmaru sometimes envied the other Zanpakutos. Their worlds were filled with vast horizons, tall buildings and wide plains. But his, his was just an endless row of small houses, all similar, covered in snow. He was a powerful Zanpakuto, but the world he lived in, the world his master portrayed, certainly did not make him feel that way. Hyourinmaru knew the houses resembled where the childhood friends uses to live in. His master cherished the memories from those days and Hyourinmaru admitted his determination to protect her was noble, but it had to be enough already.

He knew how his master saw her. From the very first time Hyourinmaru saw the girl, he knew his master liked her. Really now, all Hyourinmaru saw was a dull girl. How his master wanted to protect her with all his might, he had no idea. He was the most powerful ice-snow type Zanpakuto for heaven's sake and his master was supposed to use his power to protect greater things, like Soul Society, not just _that_ girl. He couldn't believe it was _her_ who prompted his master to hear his name. He couldn't believe his power was used mostly to protect her. He didn't understand.

Why? Why did his master take a liking to this girl? This girl who put a traitor above her best friend and pointed a sword at him, who was weak and childish. His master deserved someone better, so why did he settle for someone less worthy? Was there something else? Was there something he missed? Was there more to the innocent eyes she had, the broken smile she wore?

It was at times like that that Hyourinmaru didn't really understand his master. And perhaps that is why his Bankai is still premature. What Hitsugaya wanted was not what Hyourinmaru wanted. Their hearts were not in sync.

And as Hitsugaya guided Hinamori along, Hyourinmaru could only watch and not understand.

* * *

It had been several months after Hinamori was finally able to resume her duties as vice-captain once more. Her swordsmanship and Kido improved, along with her health, and she was able to execute missions. But Hyourinmaru was still not impressed with her.

His master was training her again. It was beginning to be a routine. She would arrive at the tenth division's training grounds and his master would focus on her swordsmanship and attacking and defensive techniques. Her movements were faster and there were fewer hesitance in her form. She was able to spar with his master without exhausting herself too much. She improved, but lacked a lot more.

Their swords clashed and Hitsugaya sent a powerful blow in her direction. She was performing a Kido spell but wasn't fast enough and before she knew it, she was knocked off her feet and found herself several yards away. Hyourinmaru saw the concerned look in his master's eyes and sighed inwardly. He didn't need to be too concerned, she was alright.

"Too slow," his master said, masking the concern with a cool expression, but Hyourinmaru knew better.

He knew his master was in love with her. He had finally come to understand that. He knew why, it was because she was the one who befriended him when nobody else did, cared for him like no one ever did and melted his cold heart. He knew that, but he couldn't really grasp that concept. Why couldn't his master choose someone stronger, more intelligent, and more attractive? That other Shinigami who used an ice-snow type Zanpakuto like him would do. She had the most beautiful Zanpakuto in Seireitei. They would match, wouldn't they? Or his vice- captain? She was extremely attractive, but Hyourinmaru knew his master wasn't interested in matters like that. He had eyes only for Hinamori.

Hyourinmaru thought she was kind, too kind for her own good, naive and gullible. She always found the positive sides of everyone and disregarded the negative parts. She put others in front of herself and was loved by many. The total _opposite_ of his master. His master was cold, critical and was constantly wary of others. She was warm and he was hostile. She loved being around people and he preferred to be alone. She was sometimes slow in learning and he was a prodigy, picking up fast. They were like fire and ice. Two extremely opposites sides of matter, but when you put them together, they created the most wonderful thing.

Hyourinmaru clashed with Tobi Ume and for once, he was impressed. Hinamori's sword was no longer filled with despair and uncertainty, the determination that left had returned. His master's eyes locked with hers and his heart skipped a beat. Hyourinmaru felt it and it was then he began to realize and finally got a peek into his master's deepest emotions.

Perhaps, it won't be long before their hearts were connected and they both yearned for the same thing.

* * *

They were falling, one by one. The Gotei 13 had put up a good fight, but Aizen was winning, slowly but surely. Amongst the few who were still standing were Hitsugaya and Hinamori. The latter was breathing hard and bleeding, having fought a Fraccion one on one. She gripped her sword firmly and although Hitsugaya knew she was having the upper hand, he was worried. Hinamori was soon reaching the limit of her Shikai, the reason she was able to last this long were her good strategies and expertise in infusing Kido with her swordsmanship.

"Where are you looking at?" the blonde Espada asked. "You are distracted. By that girl."

Hitsugaya remained silent, seeing no need for him to answer. In a moment, their swords clashed again.

"Ryuusenka."  
   
"Cascada."  
   
The ice was crushed to a million pieces by Harribel's attack and Hitsugaya could see, in their reflections, Hinamori's panting form. He furrowed his brows, and Harribel's voice made him snap his head up.

"If I kill her, would you take this fight seriously?"

A low growl escaped Hitsugaya's throat. Harribel didn't give him a chance to attack as she continued, "She's the source of your distraction, you are not fighting at full strength. If I kill her, would you show me the true extent of a captain's power?"

"I'm your opponent. Leave her out of this."

"I could simply crush her to pieces, her frail body would be grounded to dust in seconds, I would slice her, if that could expose me to the world of a Captain's Bankai."

In that instant, Hyourinmaru felt his master's fingers tighten their hold on the hilt and a surge of reiatsu rushed through his veins.

"I won't say this again..."

But before Hitsugaya could finish, Harribel flashed past him, in the direction of Hinamori. Eyes wide, Hitsugaya wasted no time in pursuing her.

"Tch!" Swords clashed as Hitsugaya's and Harribel's blade made forceful contact. Using all his strength, the tenth division Captain pushed the Espada away. "I told you, if you hurt her, I will make you experience pain a thousand times worse than dying," he whispered darkly.

Something stirred in his heart. Hinamori, _his_ Hinamori was being threatened. They were in a war. Her life was at stake. He almost lost her once, and he wouldn't let that happen again.

And he understood.

After all the conversations, meetings, visits, meditation, training, battles, Hyourinmaru finally understood. For a second he caught a glimpse of his master's true heart, and that was enough.

He loved her. As simple as that, his master loved her. This girl whose naivety brought about her downfall, who strives to see the good in everyone, who isn't cut out for killing Hollows and facing battles and all this mindless bloodshed. And since when, Hyourinmaru wasn't sure. But he knew she was, and is, an important part of his master's life and somewhere deep in his soul, he knew there were unspoken feelings Hitsugaya had towards his childhood friend. It was obvious, yet obscure. Perhaps it was because Hitsugaya kept them buried in his heart, covering those feelings in a web of denials, refusing to let anyone be privy to the deepest and most guarded chambers of his heart that Hyourinmaru didn't know.

But now he does. And finally, their hearts connected. Two hearts, one desire. To protect this girl. This girl, who should not be fighting this battle, should not be subjected to such evil, but is, simply because she needs to, in order to redeem herself, to redeem her comrades.

Hyourinmaru finally understood, and whatever shadow of doubt that existed before was vanquished, as he became one with his master.

What his master desired, he will too.

-Owari-


	13. Of Proper Names and Titles

_Hinamori fuku-taichou_

It was seldom that her comrades called her by her formal title. And to be honest, she didn't mind all that much. The Gotei 13 were like a family to her and they usually addressed get as 'Hinamori-san', 'Hinamori-chan', 'Hina-chan', 'Momo' and other similar variations. It wasn't because they didn’t respect her or acknowledge her power and authority, (they knew she was capable), but it was because of the close bonds she had forged with the members that warrants such casual referral. She liked it that way anyway; formal titles weren't really her thing. Besides, being so casual with the Gotei 13 made her feel comfortable, with the exception of certain captains of course.

Hinamori would prefer casual addresses but sometimes, duty calls. However, the one time when duty never calls is when she is with a certain white-haired captain. But this is not about how Hinamori never refers to Hitsugaya by his proper title and annoying him with names like 'Shiro-chan'. This is about how Hinamori is rarely referred to as 'Hinamori fuku-taichou' and her childhood friend is one of those who call her by any name except that. Now it's also not because he didn't acknowledge her as a vice captain but it would just be weird if he referred to her as 'Hinamori fuku-taichou'. I mean, he's known her for years now and has been calling her 'Hinamori' or 'Bed-Wetter Momo' for such a long time that calling her 'vice-captain' would just be plain weird.

Hitsugaya knew how Hinamori cringed on the inside when she was referred to so formally. So he'd just do as she preferred and drop all formality with her (he would not admit that he was not doing it for her, but for himself instead, since calling her by her title gave her more power and authority and it was bad enough that she was older than him).

_Hina-chan/Momo-chan_

Ah, those were definitely better though only a few called her by those names. Hinamori liked it when her friends referred to her so casually; it's as if there were no barriers between them. It reminded her of friendships and hope when there seemed to be none in the world.

During the time when she was still obsessing over how Aizen was innocent, Matsumoto visited her in the Fourth Division infirmary and gave her a good wake-up call. Oh yes, it really did snap her out of her depression and self-hatred. Hinamori remembered it clearly. She had been spending every single day for weeks in the infirmary, alive but not living. Matsumoto barged in one day and demanded her to face reality like a vice-captain would.

"I am sick and tired of seeing my captain wallow in his own depression, worrying himself over you till he can't even finish his paperwork properly! I am sick of watching him lose himself and I am tired of looking him in his sunken eyes, knowing perfectly well that _you_ are the cause of it! So I don't care how you're going to do it, but I want you pull yourself together and get rid of all this 'self-pitying', and for goodness sake, stop hurting the one who cares the most for you! Do you understand me?! _Hina-chan_!"

And the rest that happened was history.

_Hinamori-kun_

Hinamori had mixed feelings about this one. Aizen used the call her that, but then again, Kira did too, and he was a good friend of hers.

Aizen said her name in such a gentle tone, his eyes warm and kind that it coloured Hinamori's cheeks a faint pink. She remembered Aizen calling her name when she finished errands, when he wanted her deliver reports and when he trained with her, teaching her the correct tactics to use. He actually used her name numerous times, 'Hinamori-kun' rolled out of his tongue in almost every sentence that it creeped her out now that she thought of it.

Then, there was Kira. They hung out often, along with Renji, and he never failed to greet her cheerily, though sometimes he seemed to be a little shy when he did.

Hinamori concluded that she kind of liked being referred to as 'Hinamori-kun', despite knowing how the traitor called her that. But let's just say, she isn't as weak as people perceive her to be.

_Bed-wetter Momo_

How nostalgic. Hitsugaya was and still is, the only person who ever addressed her like that. And she was mighty glad he didn't do often. After all, this nickname gave away a rather mortifying problem she had. She wouldn't admit it, but she secretly liked it, as long as he didn't call her that when there are others around. It brought back the memories she had with her childhood friend, during a time when Rukongai was relatively peaceful and they could eat watermelons under the sun without worrying about Hollows and whatnot. And she liked knowing that fact that it was Hitsugaya who knew that about her; not some random person but the white-haired boy who grew up to be a man.

_Momo_

There were only three people who used that name. One was Hitsugaya's grandmother whom she visited frequently, another was Kurosaki, the Shinigami substitute she was rather intrigued by, and lastly, Hitsugaya of course.

Kurosaki never calls her anything else but 'Momo', and she found it interesting because no one ever calls another person by their given name on the first meeting. But she accepted that it was just Kurosaki's own way, he even calls Hitsugaya 'Toushirou' although he wasn't permitted to. Hinamori even grew fond of it.

When Hitsugaya calls her 'Momo', she doesn't really know how to react or what to expect. After all, he rarely does that. When he does though, it's either a plea (shocking), an emergency (nerve-wrecking) or he was just downright seducing her. Or so she thinks. Either way, he made her feel weird when he called her that. There was the 'Most Awkward Moment', as she dubs it that happened between them that made her feel he was seducing her. It was the time he tried persuading her not to carry out a dangerous mission.

Hinamori had been training for the upcoming mission in the World of the Living and rushed back to her division when it started to rain. She was drenched by the time she arrived in her room, and surprised to find Hitsugaya at her door. She remembered him telling her not to go, a worried look on his face.

"Why not?" she asked.

He paused a while before finally saying, "It's dangerous."

Hinamori couldn't help but feel offended. Didn't he trust her abilities? "Well, I don't think that's for you to decide isn't it? The Captain Commander entrusted this mission for me and I'm doing it, whether or not it's _dangerous_." She almost spat the last word out.

"Listen to me okay? When I said it was dangerous, I meant it. Let someone else take over."

"No, you listen to me. I don't know why you really won't let me go on this mission and I don't even know why you're fussing over me like that, but I am not going to back down and-" The firm grip at her elbow made her stop in mid-sentence and she turned, only to see Hitsugaya's unreadable turquoise eyes stare deep into hers.

"Menos Grande. And a couple of Adjuchas who infiltrated the place. There's very little information at this point and I'm clueless as to why the Captain Commander would send anyone out, let alone you."

A pregnant pause.

"I don't want you to go because you're unprepared for it. And I don't want you to get hurt."

Besides the awkward atmosphere that hung around them like a heavy curtain, none of them saying a word, Hinamori's arm was starting to feel uncomfortable since Hitsugaya's grip never loosened.

"Momo...I care about you okay." It was as soft as a whisper, but she caught it all right. She thought he was drunk or something because the captain of the Tenth Division never talked like that, it was too uncharacteristic of him. They looked at each other and it was then Hinamori presumed everything started. The butterflies in her stomach, her stuttering at times and the blush that crept up to her cheeks more often than it should. He looked at her with those eyes of his that made her want to listen to his every order and made her want to melt into a puddle. He called her name so softly, so pleadingly in such a hoarse voice that she honestly thought he was seducing her.

In the end, she didn't go for the mission. Not because Hitsugaya told her not to, but because she caught a cold during the night and Captain Komamura had to substitute her. It proved to be an extremely challenging and dangerous indeed mission and Hinamori made a mental note to thank her childhood friend.

_Hitsugaya-san/Hitsugaya fuku-taichou_

Momo smiled knowingly. The Gotei 13, especially her subordinates and unseated officials, began addressing her as Hitsugaya-san or Hitsugaya fuku-taichou. It took them a few weeks to get used to it but they did eventually. Even Momo herself took some time adjusting to her new title. It felt weird being called a different surname when all your life you've been addressed by your maiden name, it felt weird having her name changed to Hitsugaya Momo, heck, and it just felt weird to be married.

It all happened in a flash: dating for several years, Hitsugaya proposing, they getting married and living together. But she wasn't complaining. She loved being married to him, and being called 'Hitsugaya-san'. It marked a new beginning for both of them.

As she walked along the corridors of the Tenth Division, hands holding on to a stack of paperwork, Momo noticed a seated officer walking towards her direction. He greeted her 'Good morning Hitsugaya fuku-taichou' and she returned it cheerily. A huge grin was plastered on her face and she reckoned that she'll never grow sick of being called 'Hitsugaya'. Upon reaching the white-haired captain's office, she let herself in without knocking and it came as no surprise to her husband sitting at the table.

"Toushirou, paperwork from the Fifth Division," she called out, leaving the stack of papers on his desk.

An audible groan escaped his lips. "You could have picked a better greeting."

Momo noticed his weary expression and sympathized with him. "Oh right, sorry. Good morning Toushirou, would you like any help?"

"Only if you can make the paperwork disappear."

Momo sighed. "Come on, take a walk with me," she said, tugging the brush out of his hand and pulling him out of his chair. "Leave the paperwork; relax with me for a while."

Hitsugaya complied rather reluctantly, saying, "You make it sound as if the paperwork will be completed by itself."

"No, but up sulking here won't help any, so you might as well take a breather. Come on!" She held his hand and led him out of the office, tip-toeing and placing a kiss on his nose before saying, "You'll feel better when we come back.”

And with that, the paperwork was left on his desk as they took a long stroll around the Tenth Division buildings. They had lunch and visited the hot springs, picked out juicy watermelons and found a new hiding place for Matsumoto's sake, they held hands and walked and simply sat under the cherry blossom trees together. So it turned out that Hitsugaya never did finish that paperwork on time as his wife had a way of making his relax and forget about work. But with her by his side, who cared about paperwork.

 Apparently the Captain Commander did.

-Owari-


	14. 10 Reasons Why I'm Still Here

_This is ridiculous. I am sitting at my desk writing this stupid list when I can be doing that stack of paperwork that Matsumoto's supposed to do. A grumble escaped the Tenth Division's Captain's throat._

_...I read about how writing your feelings out on paper can help you figure things out when I was on a mission in the World of the Living. Those humans and their stupid activities._

_I have no idea why I'm doing this but here goes nothing._

**10 Reasons Why I'm Still Here**

Seriously, being a Shinigami is not as great as everyone made it out to be. This job is crap. It makes me work over time almost every day, I risk my life almost every other day, I have to put up with the shit my vice-captain gives me, I have weird colleagues and I'm in constant suffering every moment I'm doing this job. Some idiot never fails to come up with a dastardly evil plan, no one is ever safe; Hyourinmaru gives me the attitude sometimes and my childhood friend is the densest person I ever know. Sometimes I ask myself why I'm still here, I might as well quit the post as a Captain, find a good place in the 1st District and elo-, I mean, run away and live by myself. So why the hell am I still here? Here's why:

**1) I'm still here because I still have work to do.**

People call me a workaholic, and I'm not going to deny that. There's so much paperwork to fill out, duties to assign, training to oversee and I simply can't leave all of it and just quit. Not to mention keeping my sorry excuse of a Vice-Captain in check. She never fails to increase my workload and even has the audacity to tell me to relax. With all the paperwork she leaves for me, I have no idea how she can say something like that. Seriously, where does all the paperwork go anyway? It better not be a waste of my efforts.

Of course, there's still the paperwork from the Fifth Division. They haven't got a Captain yet, so I've got no choice but to relieve some stress from Hinamori. She's been pushing herself recently, I hope she doesn't hurt herself. She always has this knack of bringing herself harm, even though it's unintentional sometimes. I better go check-

I'm deviating; this list is about why I'm still here. So next:

**2) I'm still here because there are just so damn many idiots around, and I feel like it's my responsibility to eradicate them.**

These buffoons honestly are unable to differentiate right from wrong so I have to teach them a lesson; instill social decorum in them. Thinking about their idiocy makes my blood boil, that's how serious their conditions are.

Apparently they think it's perfectly fine to talk to Hinamori in that manner; in a way that makes it seem as if they're flirting with her. Those ignorant fools. The moment they laid a finger on her, they didn't even know what hit them. They aren't supposed to touch her, or talk to her like that; they have no right. On the other hand, I do. I mean, they're not the ones who knew her since she was a child, nor call her 'Bed-Wetter Momo' nor are they the ones who would give everything and anything just to keep her safe.

What I mean is, they should be more appropriate when conversing with a Vice-Captain.

**3) I'm also still here because my help is needed pretty badly. I'm not being arrogant or anything, but Soul Society needs me.**

Seireitei needs me. Hina-the Gotei 13 needs me. And even though they give me shit to deal with every single day, I'm not the kind who will leave my comrades in the lurch.

Where would Gotei 13 be if I'm not the Captain of the Tenth Division? With almost everyone being either weird or annoying, I doubt Gotei 13 and last much longer without normal people like me and Kuchiki. Besides, I'm responsible for the snowflakes during winter and I heard the people of Soul Society love it. And Hinamori needs me too. She's such a klutz and can hurt herself any time.

She's been through a lot, much more than someone like her can take, than she deserves. Aizen (that bastard) deserves more than just being locked up in some cell for inflicting that sort of pain on Hinamori. She's already broken as she is.

Even without Aizen (that asshole), she can still manage to hurt herself. That's why it's ludicrous that she argued how she's able to carry out that mission in the World of the Living when she can't even supervise a training session without hurting herself.

So it's damn right I have to protect Hinamori, and the rest of Soul Society too of course.

**4) I'm still here because even though I have weird colleagues, this is the only place where there are more than two people who would celebrate festivals and events with me (the two being Hinamori and Obaa-chan).**

As much as I hate to admit it, it can be rather pleasant to have your friends, I mean, subordinates and co-workers to celebrate and even organize festivities with you (no matter how much I protest; and except for drinking parties). Rukongai was never like this, despite living in the 1st District. You look weird and just like that, everyone avoids you. But Hinamori didn't, I've no idea why but she just didn't. That's why I'm glad I have her with me...which makes me think about the time Matsumoto and the others wrapped her up as a present.

It was my birthday and Matsumoto decided to celebrate it along with Christmas, knowing full well how much I hate parties. She went along with it anyway, and Abarai came out in the middle of the party with a huge box wrapped in blue paper. It turned out to be Hinamori hiding in the box and Matsumoto said something about my "long-awaited present which I can finally take home"...that idiot. But it seemed Hinamori had passed out in the box because those idiots forgot to poke holes in it. I remember freezing them out in the open, where it was snowing, and left them there. Obviously, the party had to be cut short because I wanted to- I mean, I had no choice but to take care of Hinamori. It was a lousy party anyway.

It wasn't a bad experience I must admit, because Hinamori wore pastel purple yukata and did give me a birthday gift when she woke up, but that's beside the point.

The point is, your subordinates and co-workers may be a bunch of idiots, but sometimes, the things they do provide you with entertainment and may be more rewarding than you think.

But I still hate parties.

**5) I'm here because I made a promise and I'm going to keep it.**

I hate breaking promises, and if I leave, I will be doing just that. So I have to stay to finish what I started. It's a disappointment to myself that I cannot even fulfill my promise despite the period of time I am graced with. It's been so long since I first made that promise and although I never told anyone that except Hyourinmaru, keeping that promise is still a big deal to me. And I only have myself to blame for being such a failure at keeping promises. It's not Hyourinmaru's fault, he is the most powerful ice-based Zanpakutou. I just didn't utilize his power to his maximum potential, I'm just not adept enough and I'm not strong enough. It's not Hinamori's fault for always being in trouble or for trusting the wrong people. It's mine. It's my fault because I'm the only one who can and should keep that promise but I didn't.

...And yes, I made a promise to protect Hinamori. So far, I've been doing a bad job. Hyourinmaru lent me his power and I still failed to protect her. I let her get hurt time and time again and I...even hurt her myself. This is exactly why I'm staying here. I'm staying to continue keeping that promise and now that I've hurt her, I'm staying even longer to fix my mistakes. People tell me it's not my fault, that I can't be blamed because Hinamori got hurt. But they don't understand. They don't understand how it feels to see an important person get hurt in front of their eyes when that's exactly what they wanted to prevent from happening.

And I've seen it so many times. I've seen her broken and weak, yet somehow, she still manages to pick herself up. She came to the World of the Living to face her fears and fought hard, she dealt a great blow but she's recovering quickly. And if she always finds a solution to get back up, I don't have the right to stop keeping my promise despite my failures.

So I'm staying.

**6) I'm here because I have to keep an eye on the 12th Division.**

They're currently the ones overseeing Hinamori's recovery. Judging by their reputation, I'm skeptical towards the kind of treatment they're giving Hinamori. That's why I've been visiting her regularly to check...everyday actually. After all, I was the one who landed her there...which is probably why they allowed me to visit her. I know they feel sorry for me, for Hinamori, for us. They got it wrong, but I'm still not giving up the chance to be able to visit her. I'm the only one whom the research team allowed through the ward.

I'd been there every day. And every single day repeated itself. I'd see her lying on that sickly white bed motionless, tubes and needles pierced into her body, never being able to see her brown eyes lively once more. I'd hold her. I never told anyone this but I'd hold her. I held her hand and simply sat there. Just waiting. Sometimes I'd be angry with myself, asking myself why the hell I let her end up there. I'd blame myself and the day would end with me working on my Bankai till I make it snow. Then other times I'd be angry with her, for being so naive, for choosing the path of a Shinigami, for making me worry so damn much. But most of the time I'd just keep quiet. And I realized I was not the only one.

In the opposite ward, I'd see _that_  guy. He was the former captain of the fifth division, now a Vizard, Hirako Shinji I think. I'd see him slouching beside the same bed every time without fail. The patient was that blonde kid, with the same type of tubes and needles injected into her body. He would keep his head down and sometimes call her an 'idiot'. The times when he looked up, I could see the sorrow in them and I don't know if it was my imagination or not, but there were tear tracks on his face. We'd stay in our respective wards and watch over our loved ones, and although we never conversed at all, somehow we knew we were similar. We knew we were there for the same reasons and the person lying in front of us were there for similar reasons too.

And call it a coincidence or fate or whatever, but Hinamori and that kid woke up on the same day, merely hours from each other. We both reached the 12th Division panting and although our reactions were similar, the patients' were not. The blonde kid demanded what the hell was she doing in the 12th Division and wasted no time in ordering people to get her out and hitting the Vizard in the face. She made such a scene but I guess it was common since he didn't do anything but hug her till she got pissed. Hinamori on the other hand, started crying. I don't blame her, after all she's been through, she deserves to let it all out any way she prefers. What amazed me was the way she apologized and looked at me. I knew something was different and only time will tell.

Before leaving the division, we bumped into each other and a curt nod was all it took for us to understand.

Currently, Hinamori has resumed her duties and training, though she still requires treatment and observations. I know what Kurotsuchi did to revive his vice-captain and I'm keeping an eye on him in case he does anything...weird.

**7) I'm still here because I'm currently on an important and extremely challenging mission, which involves telling Hinamori what she needs to know.**

It's been far too long that I've kept all these /feelings/ in me. I don't even know when all this started, all I know is that I get butterflies in my stomach when she smiles, I feel warm when she looks at me and this is unacceptable since my Zanpakuto is an ice-based one. And I heard how one should not bottle up one's feelings blah blah blah from the World of the Living. Even though I disagree with that, keeping what I feel for my childhood friend in me is becoming very frustrating. It doesn't help that said childhood friend is extremely dense about such things. For a long time I've been trying to make things clear, or at least drop a hint, but all she does is change the topic or give me vague answers. You have no idea how exasperating it is when you finally decide to tell your best friend how you feel only to have them clueless.

Maybe it's just me. I mean, we've been friends for such a long time, telling her might destroy our friendship. But one day I'll tell her. Definitely. I want to be everything I can. I want to be the one to help her heal. I want to be the one whom she will love, not merely as a friend, but as a man. So I'll wait for the right time to tell her but until then, I will stay.

**8) I'm still here because I'm waiting for a better future.**

Soul Society's still in a mess right now. Many of us are dealing with the aftermath of the Winter War: certain areas are still in shambles, we've lost many, the Gotei 13 is short of 3 captains and countless are in the midst of healing.

I've seen many fight to regain their previous lifestyles. I may not show it, but I know Matsumoto is still struggling to move on. She was depressed, but always found ways to conceal her sorrow and maintain her happy-go-lucky personality. But I know better, that's why I'm more lenient with her now. Hinamori...on the other hand, is having more trouble with that. I know how Aizen's betrayal affected her the most and sometimes it irks me that she still thinks about him. She may have woken up, but she's clinging on to the past. It makes me wonder why she can't see what's in front of her. Her comrades are here. _I_ am here for her. So why doesn't she understand that?

I hate it when I visit her and I'm met with a crying face or her form sitting in a corner. She tries to hide it, but I can see the tear tracks and most of the time, they are there for the same reason. When that happens, I have the urge to simply drive those tears away and hold her, just to make her _see_.

So I'm staying to make sure that happens. I'm staying to help Soul Society piece itself back together again.

**9) I'm still here because I've got nowhere else to go.**

If I leave, where can I go? In all honesty, Seireitei is my home. It's where my comrades are, it's where the people most important to me are and it's where I belong, no matter how cheesy that sounds. Seireitei has given me a lot of 'firsts'. It's where I first achieved Bankai, first ate candy, first had an annoying assistant, first went to a co-ed hot spring, first ate the lousiest watermelons ever (Rukongai still has the best), first felt so vengeful and angry that it snowed during autumn and had my first kiss. Needless to say, I treasured them.

The Captain Commander can be a real ass sometimes, but he's the only one who can keep this place up and running; Soi Fon is obsessed with black cats but she can lead the Special Ops better than anyone; Kira's just spineless; Unohana helped more Shinigamis than you thought; Kuchiki's one of the few who's sensible and normal (something we lack here); Komamura's Bankai can be very helpful; Kyouraku may corrupt my vice-captain but his duels are the best to analyze; the 11th Division is...helpful...I guess; Mayuri's one hell of a creep but his inventions and treatments are what's keeping Hinamori alive; and though Ukitake's plain weird, he's a good captain. It's unlike me to actually state the qualities of the Gotei 13, but it's the truth. This is exactly the way they are and what makes me stay (though majority of the time I wonder how Soul Society managed to survive with such people in charge).

I spend all of my time with these people whether I like it or not, so I might as well try to enjoy their company. Besides, they are the ones who celebrate these meaningless festivals with me. They're also the ones who would celebrate my birthday rather boisterously, despite already hinting that I'd like to have some peace and quiet. But I guess I shouldn't complain, they're almost like family...in a sickening way. So I'll stay; I'll stay with them.

**10) I'm here because she's here.**

She's the reason why I'm still here, stuck with this crappy job with a bunch of misfits for co-workers and risking my life almost every day. Like I said, I made a promise to protect her, and the only way I can still do that is to stay. I admit, I was angry when she decided to enroll herself in the Shinigami Academy. Why did she have to be a Shinigami? Wasn't staying in Rukongai with me enough? I didn't want her to leave, partly because I didn't think she could handle it and partly because I just wanted her to stay with me. So when I found out about my powers, I took that chance to be a Shinigami too. I wanted to be the one to protect her, not the other way around. She's the only one who can annoy me in a non-infuriating way; she's the only one who can put a smile on my usually scowling face. She's the one who makes me want to be stronger.

One day I'll tell her. I'll tell her the reason why I became a Shinigami; I'll tell her how she has the ability to make me smile despite everything. I'll tell her that I love her. And till that day arrives, I'll be here.

"Shirou-chan..."

"That's why I told you not to read it!" the white-haired captain said with embarrassment. "In fact, no one's allowed to read it, only me."

Hinamori remained silent and all of a sudden, she leaned forward and engulfed Hitsugaya in a huge embrace.

"I love you too."

She caught him by surprise, so all he could do was wrap his arms around her and say, "Yeah yeah."

"I'm sorry..." Hinamori started.

 A look of confusion crossed Hitsugaya's features. "For what?"

"For everything!" she replied. "For not knowing your feelings, for hurting you again and again, for not realizing _my_ feelings." She cast her gaze onto the futon, guilt rushing through her body in waves.

"I told you, I don't care about that anymore. You're with me now, that's all that matters. Okay?" he said while lifting her chin with his finger.

She looked meekly at him and nodded. "By the way Toushirou, what first kiss?"

_Shit_ . He feigned confusion and answered, "What are you talking about?

"Number 9. You mentioned something about have your first kiss here," she said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"No I didn't," he quickly replied and snatched the list away from her.

Hinamori crossed her arms and stared at him, with a I-know-something's- up-so-you-better-tell-me look written on her face. He sighed dejectedly after a moment and told her, "It was when you were drunk..."

Russet eyes widened to the size of saucers. "You...took advantage of me when I was drunk...?"

"No! You make it sound bad when you say it like that. It's not what you think it is," Hitsugaya said, trying hard to save himself.

"Then what is it? Why would you kiss me when I'm drunk?"

"Well, I couldn't help it."

"What do you mean by that?"

He sighed yet again. She will never get it unless he spelt it out for her. "You are crazily attractive when you're drunk, I couldn't help it so I kissed you. I didn't know you would ever find out. But you just did so...sorry."

A giggle escaped from her lips.

"W-What?" Hitsugaya stammered, his mortification taken to the next level.

"It's just that...I can't believe...you would steal kisses! You don't seem like the type at all," Hinamori managed to say between bouts of laughter.

A blush rose up to his cheeks as he said, "Yeah, well now you know. Will you stop laughing?!"

"Okay okay...and on the same note, you don't look like the type who would write such lists."

"I was bored," he started. "And I mentioned how the humans said writing can help you express yourself or whatever. It helped, didn't it? I finally managed to tell you."

Hinamori smiled knowingly and slyly. "Tell me what?"

His teal eyes met hers as he replied, "You know."

"No I don't. Tell me, Toushirou."

It was a game of endurance to determine who would admit it first. With a smile and eyes filled with anticipation, Hinamori won.

"I love you." And with that, Hitsugaya leaned in to capture her lips with his, feeling her smile against them.

"Well then, mission accomplished," she teased as they broke apart for a moment, before letting him kiss her once more.

-Owari-


	15. The Outside Angle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Koukichirou Takezoe is an official Bleach character. Nichimirou Tatsuya is not though.

Hello everyone. My name is Koukichirou Takezoe and I am the seventh seat member of the Tenth Division.

I know it is not my duty to be gossiping about my captain and his lov—I mean childhood _friend_ , but this has gone too far. Besides, it's not like everybody doesn't know about what I'll be saying anyway. I'm merely stating the obvious.

Before you get confused, let me clarify certain details. I am not gossiping. I am just pointing out several facts of my captain, Hitsugaya Toushirou and the vice-captain of the Fifth Division, Hinamori Momo. Also, I am simply an observer, with no direct contact with the aforementioned individuals. And Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Hinamori are _definitely_ not just friends.

So why do I say this, you may ask. Because it's the most freaking obvious thing in the world even Tousen could see it!!! Ahem...excuse me. I shall cordially begin my analysis.

As you know, I am the seventh seat member of the Tenth Division therefore, which means I have a lot of paperwork to finish (unfortunately, it seems as if our division has become a home for paperwork). Needless to say, I pass by my captain's office rather frequently. And I've been noticing something very strange about him. You see, my captain is a very responsible and focused individual. The fact that I've been witnessing his distractedness surely tells me that something is wrong. Recently, Captain Hitsugaya has been spacing out at his desk! He would stare into nothingness and mumble to himself. Sometimes, he would even blush! It is extremely weird...and I was a bit worried for him.

Soon after, I found out the reason for his 'daydreams', for lack of a better word. That day, I had to deliver the paperwork as Vice-Captain Matsumoto was on her break, as usual. I happily complied but realized I could not possibly deliver those papers to the Eighth Division, for on the sheets of paperwork was Vice-Captain Hinamori's name written over and over again! They filled almost the entire page with Captain Hitsugaya's signature at the bottom right. It seemed as if he signed the paper without realizing that he had scribbled his childhood _friend's_ name all over it.

It was then I got the first clue and things started getting more interesting.

I say this because several significant matters ensued.

First and foremost, which is also the most significant, is the eye-sex. I've seen it, I swear! More than once! As usual. I'd just be passing by and coincidentally see Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Hinamori along the corridors. Usually, they'd greet each other informally and a light banter would occur. However, recently, I've been noticing that the both of them, not only my captain, are rather awkward. They behave awkwardly, they talk awkwardly and they look at each other awkwardly. After some time, I realized that they didn't look at each other awkwardly. They were having eye-sex.

It was weird at first. I could see Captain Hitsugaya's eyes fixated on Vice-Captain Hinamori's face...and then his gaze would travel down to...somewhere else. She, on the other hand, wouldn't even look at him. She would stare down and marvel at something on the ground, as if it were any interesting. Then, it seems she realized that looking down when someone was talking was rude, so she'd snap her head up. Ah...and this is where the eye-sex comes in. Once their eyes are locked, everything and everybody around them seem to vanish into thin air. They'd just stare and sometimes, just sometimes, I could see them move closer.

But that's not the surprising part. The surprising part will have to be when Captain Hitsugaya actually _flirts_ with Vice-Captain Hinamori. Yes! Our Tenth Division captain, the stoic and cold one, actually flirts with girls! Well, fine, it's only Vice-Captain Hinamori. But it's still shocking. That say when I coincidentally saw them, he raised his eyebrow at her when he saw her blush (Vice-Captain Hinamori flushes very easily), and asked, "You okay? Your face is red." Right after that, he put his palm to her forehead and bent down to her (yes, Captain had a growth spurt, he's even comparable with Vice-Captain Matsumoto). Obviously, that made her blush even harder. The poor girl jerked away from his hand and stammered, "I-I'm fine! Just a little bit hot! Crazy weather huh!" She left in a hurry after that, leaving a puzzled Captain Hitsugaya standing. Although I did see him smirk after that.

But that's not all. Not at all. The eye-sex is even more obvious during joint meetings. During such meetings, the both of them would cast furtive glances at the other, only focusing on the subject at hand when the other notices. It's almost like a sick game. The times when they do make eye contact, they blush. There was once when Captain Hitsugaya fumbled with his report, missing out details and tripping over his words. The reason? Vice-Captain Hinamori smiled at him. If I were there, I would have slapped him.

Now, I may not have been there, but I heard these from reliable sources...like several Captains. Apparently, they also noticed the eye-sex and were even exasperated with having to take their denials and cowardice. In other words, after witnessing the awkwardness and (sexual) frustration of the young couple, they decided enough was enough, and it was about damn time that they got together. However, the eyesex was not only the cause of their exasperation. Yes, there are many more reasons. For example, the green-eyes monster, also known as Captain Hitsugaya.

There are many incidents in which the Gotei 13 could witness Captain Hitsugaya's jealousy, but the most prominent one would be the one that took place 2 weeks ago, near the Senkaimon, where everyone had such a nice view of.

The whole jealousy incident started with a foolish man, in this case, Nichimirou Tatsuya, the fourth seat of the Fifth Division. He must be new, to actually possess the audacity to do such a thing to Vice-Captain Hinamori in front of Captain Hitsugaya. He either just got posted to the Gotei 13 or he simply is bold; someone who laughs in the face of danger. Because what he did at the Senkaimon for the whole of Seiretei to see was just inviting Captain Hitsugaya to freeze him over. Honestly, I don't know if I should laugh at him or pity him.

As I was saying, Nichimirou accomplished this stupid task when Vice-Captain Hinamori was about to leave Soul Society for a mission in the World of the Living. It had been a few after she fully recovered from the Winter War and the Captain Commander put the Fifth Division in charge of the mission, along with the Third and Sixth Divisions' Vice-Captain. Needless to say, Captain Hitsugaya was very pleased with it, since he is extremely protective of her. He offered to take Vice-Captains Abarai's and Kira's place to accompany her but was of course, rejected by the Captain Commander. So my captain settled for just bidding her a safe trip there and back, just like the rest of us. Well, not me actually, I followed my captain because I needed to remind him of the division's training session later.

Anyway, Nichimirou was there too. No surprise there. A few of the Fifth Division's squad members came to the Senkaimon to send their Vice-Captain off. Hmm, I have to admit, Vice-Captain Hinamori is rather popular with her division. So I was just there, watching by the sidelines and I almost choked on my own spit when I saw Captain Hitsugaya do what he did. He leaned in close to Vice-Captain Hinamori, his mouth mere inches away from her ear. From my angle, it seemed like he was saying something to her and if I'm not mistaken, I saw him kiss the shell of her ear, very lightly and very subtly, for no one seemed to notice a thing. I looked to Vice-Captain Hinamori, who confirmed my earlier speculation. She was blushing and had a surprised look on her face. Before she could say anything though, Captain Hitsugaya withdrew and was about to tell her something but the foolish man, Nichimirou, cut him off.

You see, one never interrupts Captain Hitsugaya (except Vice-Captain Matsumoto) when he's talking or giving out orders, and especially when he is talking to Vice-Captain Hinamori. But Nichimirou went and broke this rule. He strode over to Vice-Captain Hinamori and before we knew it, he engulfed her in a hug. It wasn't the pat-on-the-back kind of hug, it was a you-are-special kind of hug. All eyes turned to him; some of us were incredulous, others were shocked, I was just watching the whole thing in anticipation. I wondered what would happen to him in that moment. Would he get frozen to death? Would he be sent to the Fourth Division? Would he taste the wrath of my captain?

Apparently, not yet. If hugging Vice-Captain Hinamori in front of Captain Hitsugaya wasn't enough of a death wish, he so boldly put his hands on her shoulder and said, "Vice-Captain Hinamori, please be careful and come back safely! I and the rest of the division will be awaiting your return patiently! When you come back, we will celebrate together; it is getting a bit cold don't you think? Maybe you should bring a scarf with you- eh? Vice-Captain Hinamori?" Firstly, it was cold because my captain had decreased the temperature due to his anger and secondly, the only person who needed a scarf and bandages perhaps was him. He did not get the chance to finish his sentence as Captain Hitsugaya had already 'snatched' her away. He gripped her elbow and literally pulled her away from the man who had a death wish.

Coincidentally, the Senkaimon appeared and Vice-Captains Abarai and Kira prepared to step into the Precipice World. Captain Hitsugaya had left an embarrassed Nichimirou standing there while he said (loud enough for me to hear), "Oi, since when was it okay for officers to give their superiors such an 'elaborate' send-off? And I expected you to be more responsible. You should have put him in his place and not just stand there, letting him suffocate you."

Vice-Captain Hinamori stared at him for a while, before attempting to suppress a giggle. She looked him in the eye and said, "If I didn't know better Hitsugaya-kun, I'd think you were jealous." And with that, she wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a little squeeze, before leaving for the World of the Living. That left my captain in a daze and a visible blush crept up his cheeks. The temperature returned to normal and Nichimirou was still standing there like a fool. However, it was his lucky day as the hug had made Captain Hitsugaya forget about him completely. It is always fun to follow those two.

So, it is clear that my captain, Hitsugaya Toushirou, likes (or loves) Vice-Captain Hinamori. After that incident, someone spun the rumour mill and claimed that my captain "has the hots for Vice-Captain Hinamori". This then begs the question: Does Vice-Captain Hinamori reciprocate his feelings? Well, I found out the answer a few days after Captain Hitsugaya returned from a mission in the World of the Living.

I received news about several vice-captains and my captain returning to Soul Society after being ambushed by unknown attackers in the World of the Living. What required urgency was the fact that they had been badly injured after defeating their opponents and needed immediate assistance upon returning to Soul Society. As my captain and Vice-Captain were involved, I gathered a few of our division members to lend our assistance. We rushed to the Senkaimon after hearing the news via a Hell Butterfly and met several other seated officers there, mostly from the Fourth Division. What surprised me was the sight of a worried Vice-Captain Hinamori, since her division was not dispatched to the World of the Living. But I shouldn't have been surprised, she was concerned about her childhood friend after all. She wore a disturbed and apprehensive feature on her face, but before I could approach her, the Senkaimon opened.

What greeted our eyes sent everyone into a frenzy, for our captain and vice-captains staggered out, their uniforms torn and blood dripping from gashes that covered their bodies. They barely made it. Several Fourth Division members tended to Vice-Captains Abarai, Kira, Hisagi and Matsumoto immediately. A few tried to treat Captain Hitsugaya but he roughly said, "Treat them first! I'm fine!" But obviously, he was far from that. He was bleeding profusely from the slashes on his body, his blood staining his haori. He had a deep gash on his temple, which caused the blood to flow down his face too. He couldn't even stand up straight. The Fourth Division members persisted, but he stubbornly shook them off. I made my way towards him, and saw that Vice-Captain Hinamori was already by his side. She caught him in her arms when he teetered and immediately used Healing Kidou on him, all the while helping him to one of the stretchers that were prepared.

She looked as if she was about to cry as tears threatened to spill, but I could see she was biting them back. Her voice trembled as she said, "Hitsugaya-kun! Please don't resist, we have to treat you right away! Don't worry about the rest, your wounds are much more serious...Hitsugaya-kun? Shirou-chan! Hang in there!"

Whatever followed was a blur, but they managed to pull through, with the help of the Fourth Division. A couple of days passed and they were over the critical stage.

I was at the Fourth Division, ready to pick up the relevant paperwork for my captain's and vice-captain's hospitalization. Iemura, the one in charge, was taking a rather long time preparing the paperwork since there were many other divisions involved as well. This gave me some time to dawdle and daydream, which led me to stare aimlessly outside the windows. It surprised me to see that my captain's ward was right opposite where I was standing. I know this because I could see him lying in the white bed, with Vice-Captain Hinamori at his side. They seemed to be talking but I couldn't make out what they were saying.

_"Hitsugaya-kun...it would have been better if you weren't so stubborn," the dark-haired girl said._

_"What? They were badly injured," came his rather weak reply._

_"You were too!"_

_He couldn't argue with that so Hitsugaya merely kept quiet. Silence settled between the two before Hinamori started, "Hitsugaya-kun, do me a favour?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"Please don't play the hero anymore."_

_"...They did well."_

_"Yes, they did. So can you make me that promise?" she asked hopefully._

_"Unfortunately, I can't," he replied._

_An audible sigh escaped her lips. She knew he couldn't make that promise, not when he has such loyalty and responsibility towards his comrades, so she let it go. She just wished he would be more careful._

_"You scared me," Hinamori said after the silence._

_"I know...I'm sorry."_

_"It's not your fault. You did well too Hitsugaya-kun."_

_You could see the pride in his eyes when she said that._

_"It's time to change your dressing, I'll get the healers," she said, preparing to leave the ward. He didn't let her though, for he caught her wrist._

_"They're all busy tending to the rest. You can do it, can't you?"_

_"I suppose..."_

What I saw next gave me the answer. Vice-Captain Hinamori stood up and started undressing Captain Hitsugaya. Initially, I was wondering what the hell she was doing, but after watching her unwind his current bandages, I realize she was trying to change his dressing. There was a sort of shyness yet skill in her actions as she finished unwinding the bloodied bandages. Her hands were delicate and gentle, my captain didn't even flinch. He did blush though, as her fingers did their work over his skin; it was quite obvious. When she was done, she ran her nimble fingers over the new bandages, stopping over the area that still bled as the wound was deep and fresh. Captain Hitsugaya gingerly placed his hand over hers, which caught her by surprise; she didn't expect herself to touch him nor did she expect him to hold her hand in place. They looked at each other longingly, as if hoping the other party could find the right words to the expressions they were making. I saw them lean in, until their noses were almost touching, when...

"Koukichirou-san. Koukichirou-san!" Iemura called out.

My head snapped back to him and I said, "Huh?"

"Your papers are ready, sorry for the wait."

"Ah. Right. Thanks."

I took the papers from him and looked back once he was gone, but all I saw were the both of them sitting (or lying) in their respective positions, their hands to themselves and faces down.

Then, I got the answer. The answer is 'yes', obviously. But I decided to keep that to myself for the time being.

The _next_ incident which affirmed, if not further proved, that our hypothesis is correct is during their trainings together.

After the Winter War, Vice-Captain Hinamori expressed her determination to improve her fighting abilities. She approached the other Vice-Captains, such as Vice-Captains Abarai and Kira to train with her, but surprisingly, Captain Hitsugaya offered (coerced, more likely) to train with her. She was a bit skeptical at first, but eventually accepted his offer.

Their training sessions didn't have a fixed timing and weren't really opened to the public, so I couldn't observe. It's not like I wanted to in the first place, but seeing fire fight with ice would be quite interesting right? Absolutely.

During the first few training sessions, they practised swordsmanship mostly; I know because I passed by the training grounds a couple of times and got a glimpse. However, as their training sessions proceeded, they got more intense too. Much more intense. It is not only I who know this, but basically the whole of Seireitei too. Why? Because they freaking let their reiatsu go loose and when their attacks met and exploded, it shot pillars of reiatsu into the sky, attracting the attention of many. Initially, several of the Tenth Division members would watch their training sessions. For subsequent sessions, more and more Shinigamis started to spectate as well. Heck, even the Eleventh Division members were there! Despite the crowd, Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Hinamori didn't seem to mind...maybe it gave them harsher conditions or motivated them or something.

Anyway, we spectators finally got what we wanted. In one of their intense training sessions, we finally saw what fire and ice created.

"Let's end this," Captain Hitsugaya said, sweat dripping down his brows.

"About time," Vice-Captain Hinamori replied.

They prepared their attack stance and the rest of us held our breaths. This is it.

"Ryuusenka."

"Hajike, Tobi Ume." But that was not all.

As their attacks approached for the final showdown, the dark-haired Vice-Captain added, "Kakeru /(lit. meaning: strengthen/multiply)/." The canon ball immediately intensified as it grew larger and hotter.

However, it was not enough to overpower Captain Hitsugaya's 'Ryuusenka'. We all thought 'Ryuusenka' was going to dissipate the fire and Captain Hitsugaya will thus land a direct hit on Vice-Captain Hinamori.

But it never came.

There was a deafening explosion, which sent smoke rising and engulfing all of us. When the smoke lifted, both of them were unscathed, not even a scratch. What caught our attention though, was the product of 'Ryuusenka' and the intensified canon ball.

Majestic glaciers of ice met our eyes as they formed enormous shapes of icicles and frozen waves. Inside the ice however, was not frozen liquid as it should be, instead, what filled Captain Hitsugaya's 'Ryuusenka' was Vice-Captain Hinamori's fire. The fire spread throughout the ice, licking the underside yet not melting it. It was very much alive despite the cold as it coursed fiercely within the icy surface. It was ice encompassing fire despite the complete opposite elements both possessed. In other words, it was a magnificent sight to behold.

We could only gape and stare in awe and wonder.

It seemed Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Hinamori didn't intend for them to be attacks at all. And if I'm not mistaken, I thought I saw Captain Hitsugaya smirk at his 'opponent', and she smiled.

The crowd dispersed as Vice-Captain Matsumoto suddenly popped out of nowhere was announced, "Show's over!"

From that day onwards, many still went to spectate, hoping to see more of fire's and ice's creations. Unfortunately, they didn't get a show and soon enough, the crowd dwindled till Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Hinamori could train together without having to hear cheers and whistles.

How does this relate to my purpose of this then? Well, I don't think two people who don't love each other can create such a beautiful thing, with total opposite elements to boot.

So now we've established the fact that my captain and his childhood friend have mutual feelings. They both liked each other very much, but have never admitted it to the other at all, which led to them settling into the 'we're not lovers but we do like each other' phase. That just confused me. They clearly like each other, so why don't they admit it? Well, it's fine if Vice-Captain Hinamori doesn't make the first move, maybe she's just waiting for him to confess. But Captain Hitsugaya on the other hand...he's unbelievable. He likes her very much, and for a long time already, so what exactly is he waiting for? Doesn't it annoy him that he can't call Vice-Captain Hinamori his? I mean, that's what he's been waiting for after all these years right? He thinks almost everybody in the Gotei 13 is weird, given their personalities, but he's the weird one.

It has also led to more rumours about the two circulating throughout Seireitei. Some of them go like this: Captain Hitsugaya likes Vice-Captain Hinamori but she rejected him. Others go like this: No, it's the other way around, except it's because Captain Hitsugaya is married to paperwork. Others: Captain Hitsugaya and Vice-Captain Hinamori are going to get married in Captain Kuchiki's garden. Rumours are so weird; I don't even know how they got this twisted. Except for the last one, I can actually see that happening.

Anyway, the rumours are all wrong. Being the Seventh Seat of the Tenth Division (I am not bragging), I'm very privy to my captain's affairs, which include a certain russet-eyed Vice-Captain. You see, these two have actually made their feelings known to each other way back and have even progressed much much further. I found this little tidbit out when I paid Captain Hitsugaya a visit in his private quarters to remind him he's late for a meeting, like 45 minutes late and he is never late.

I was flustered because the Captain Commander hates waiting and if my captain is late, the whole division is going to get punished, like the previous time. We have enough paperwork as it is and I'm sure as hell not looking forward to more paperwork. This led me to rush to Captain's Hitsugaya private quarters and after realizing he was nowhere in sight, I barged into his sleeping quarters without so much as a knock.

Bad choice, very bad choice.

There on Captain Hitsugaya's large futon, was Vice-Captain Hinamori in all her naked glory. At least under the sheets, she was. She was lying on her stomach, with her hands on each side of her face, her head turned to the side. I could feel Captain Hitsugaya's dumbstruck gaze on me and I think he was in the midst of tying his obi, but Vice-Captain Hinamori's figure distracted me. Her porcelain back was facing right at me and I could see her slim figure under the sheets. She slept very soundly as her back moved up and down to her slow, steady breathing. Her hair was splayed across her shoulder blades and the thin sheets did nothing but left me to my wild imaginations. In short, she was gorgeous. As I realized what they must have done for her to end up in this 'state', I felt the heat rise to my cheeks.

I gulped.

She moved slightly and the sheets slid down her back, threatening to reveal more, much-

"Get out."

Captain Hitsugaya's cold voice brought me back to reality. I realized he just saw me ogle at his partner, all the while too dumbstruck to say anything until now. I slowly turned my gaze to him and upon seeing his angry eyes and hands about to reach for his sword, I quickly muttered an "Excuse me" and fled the room.

Oh crap, that was close. I was almost murdered by ice. As I thought about what just happened, as in really thought about it, I started blushing again, but I quickly shook those thoughts away from my head. Just as I was about to leave, Vice-Captain Matsumoto rushed past me and headed straight for Captain Hitsugaya's sleeping quarters.

Shit. Before I could warn her though, she slid the door open with a loud 'bang' and said breathlessly, "Captain! It's totally not my style but you are so—oh my God!!"

Yeah, I can guess what just happened. She found Vice-Captain Hinamori lying on her Captain's futon naked. Following Vice-Captain Matsumoto's find, a shrill 'Rangiku-san! What are you doing here?!' was heard. Looks like the sleeping beauty finally woke up. In the next second, Captain Hitsugaya shouted, "Matsumoto! Get out!"

"Oh my, oh my, Captain and Hinamori! Did you two just—"

Before she could finish her sentence, she was thrown out of the room and landed at my feet. I stared at her awkwardly and tried to help her up but she did so herself in a flash.

"Koukichirou! Did you see that?! This is such good news, I can't contain it any longer! I'm telling someone!" With that, she left, leaving me stunned.

Maybe I should tell someone too, I mean, it's about time the truth is out right? Hmmm...

_"Shirou-chan, you think Rangiku-san will spread?" Hinamori's meek voice called out with a hint of worry present._

_Her partner just finished tying his obi and turned to reply, "Knowing Matsumoto, most probably."_

_"Ah...what do we do?" A worried expression crossed her features, as well as a blush, while she held the sheets to her chest. A lock of dark hair fell over her face and she swept it back, along with her bed-hair._

_Hitsugaya smiled genuinely, walked towards her and said, "It's not like people aren't already making up ridiculous rumours about us. Besides, it's about time we make our relationship public don't you think?" He smirked and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, kissing her cheek gently as he did so._

_She blushed as she answered, "You're right...Shirou-chan."_

_In that instant, he withdrew from her and said abruptly, "Stop calling me that. After what happened last night, you're still going to call me be that kid nickname?" There was mischief lacing his voice._

_Hinamori had no way to fight down the blush that was displayed so obviously on her cheeks. He was right...he definitely showed her he wasn't a kid anymore. "It's a habit. If we do this more often, I'm sure I can kick that habit in no time." She was playing along._

_It made Hitsugaya want to take her right then and there. He bent down to her and cupped her face, pressing his forehead to hers. Hinamori was taken by surprise but was enjoying the moment. They leaned in and their lips met in a passionate kiss; not one of them letting go of the other. When Hitsugaya pulled back, Hinamori found herself following his lips, subconsciously desiring more of his kisses. He noticed this and smirked, giving her a final deep kiss that left her breathless._

_"Get dressed. We're going out," he told her suddenly._

_"Where to? And don't you have a meeting?"_

_"I took the day off. I helped you take the day off too. And that's a secret for now."_

_"Wow, you plan fast."_

_He simply nodded and pulled her out of his futon, urging her to get dress so he can take her out. Little did they know they were about to be very 'pleasantly' surprised once they step out of Hitsugaya's private quarters._

-Owari-


End file.
